Universal health care is not a left and right issue in Norway either at this point. However Canada as well as Norway saw the left being the ones who historically introduced universal health care.

I don't know the Canadian history of health care well. But as far as I can read up, there was a fair amount of opposition to universal health care among conservatives.

Most of the welfare systems in Norway today which is embraced by the political right today, was strongly opposed in the past. Thus the left and the right matters in politics. Conservatives have had to accept many of the welfare services, public education and health care which the left introduced because these programs have been very popular with the population. Once people see the benefit it is hard to turn back, and conservatives knew they would loose elections if they went against public health care.

Not even powerful conservative icon Margareth Thatcher in Britain dared challenge public health care in Britain as she knew it was close to a national religion.