Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare, issued the following statement today regarding the appointment of Sarah Hoffman as Alberta's new Minister of Health and Minister of Seniors:

"Friends of Medicare would like to congratulate our new Minister of Health and Minister of Seniors, Sarah Hoffman. We are looking forward to working with Minister Hoffman as we move forward in ensuring that our public Health Care is protected and expanded. 

Our province has the capacity to make the necessary investments in publicly-funded and publicly-delivered health care. What Albertans need is the political will to undertake the long-term and comprehensive planning to address our health care pressures. We are hopeful that Minister Hoffman will provide that political will and that the process will be transparent, accountable, and based on evidence and expert opinions.

For decades we have looked forward to having a Minister and leaders in our health care system who understand that Medicare is an ethical trust and who want to be responsible for its success. We have been hoping for leaders who value and respect public health care.

We are hopeful that Minister Hoffman will be able to rebuild trust in the governance of our public system and to set a clear mandate for policies for the Department of Health and Alberta Health Services. We hope she will show the public a clear agenda in both of her Ministries: Health and Seniors.

We are looking forward to meeting with Minister Hoffman in the coming days to discuss public solutions to the problems facing our health care system."