Socialized Medicine: A Symbol of Canadian National Identity?

Steven Tennett makes fun of Canada's health care system:

Government lawyers argued to keep the state’s ban on private insurance because the single-payer system is considered “‘one of Canada’s finest achievements and a powerful symbol of the national identity.”

Only two other countries on earth have such “powerful symbols of national identity” – Cuba and North Korea. Every other country with national health insurance recognizes its shortcomings and allows private insurance as a safety valve.

Where would government lawyers be without a system to defend?