The legislation, which was slated to be introduced during the fall sitting of the Alberta legislature, has once again been put on the back-burner.

Klein said yesterday that not all of the legislation that would be required to create private insurance for non-emergency procedures will be ready in time for the short fall session, which begins Nov. 15.

He also indicated that there are benefits to waiting until next spring and after an anticipated federal election because he didn't want to be accused of influencing the vote and he anticipated a "firestorm" of protest from supporters of medicare.

He said he'd sooner have "the Raging Grannies and the Friends of Medicare storm the Legislature once, rather than twice" and avoid a fall and winter of protest.

"We're taking ample time to work out a plan, but the fundamental policy is we will introduce legislation that will abide by the Supreme Court ruling which said in fact that people are entitled to buy insurance or pay for non-emergency procedures," he said.

But Blakeman, the Liberal health critic, said there is no plan. "This just proves it," she said. "They are just ping-ponging around from one ad hoc action to another ad hoc action on health care."

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