Sarah Palin has criticized Canada's health care program, saying the socialized system should be dismantled in favor of free enterprise.

But during a speech Saturday in Calgary, Palin acknowledged the irony of her family using medical care in Canada decades ago.

Palin was a child in the mid-1960s when her family lived in Skagway, a southeast Alaska town near the Canadian border.

When bad weather kept planes grounded, the train to Whitehorse, Yukon, often was the only option for travel.

Palin told the Calgary audience her family would then take the train across the border for health care.

Jason Recher, an aide to Palin, didn't immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Sarah Palin has criticized Canada's health care program, saying the socialized system should be dismantled in favor of free enterprise.

But during a speech Saturday in Calgary, Palin acknowledged the irony of her family using medical care in Canada decades ago.

Palin was a child in the mid-1960s when her family lived in Skagway, a southeast Alaska town near the Canadian border.

When bad weather kept planes grounded, the train to Whitehorse, Yukon, often was the only option for travel.

Palin told the Calgary audience her family would take then take the train across the border for health care.

Jason Recher, an aide to Palin, didn't immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.