News

Government-appointed “Blue Ribbon Panel” sets the stage for 4 years of unwarranted austerity budgets

September 03, 2019 2:47 PM

Government-appointed “Blue Ribbon Panel” sets the stage for 4 years of unwarranted austerity budgets

Although health care took a back seat to “jobs, pipelines, economy” during the recent election, it was expected and reasonable to assume that health care should now become a much spoken about subject area.

The UCP appointed Janice MacKinnon to chair the Blue Ribbon Panel, and to look into our province’s expenditures. The panel was given a very narrow mandate to examine expenses but not revenues, which will come later on in the UCP mandate. Instead, the panel was tasked with recommending a path to a balanced budget by the year 2022-23, without raising taxes.

“With the release of the much awaited ‘Blue Ribbon Panel report,’ we heard what we can expect from this government, and it confirmed that Albertans will be faced with 4 years of unwarranted austerity budgets and imposed legislative changes,” indicates Sandra Azocar, executive director Friends of Medicare.

FOM welcomes Lethbridge City Council’s common-sense vote on continued provincial funding for SCS

August 19, 2019 7:01 PM

FOM welcomes Lethbridge City Council’s common-sense vote on continued provincial funding for SCS

On Monday, August 19, Lethbridge city council voted on a motion to request the provincial government halt funding to the city’s supervised consumption site, subject to the findings of the government’s forthcoming “socioeconomic” review. The motion, introduced by Councillor Blaine Hyggen, was defeated Monday evening by a vote of 6-3.

“Supervised consumption services are an integral part of a harm reduction strategy — they connect vulnerable Albertans to essential services that will ultimately give them a path to healthier lives,” said Sandra Azocar, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “We’re glad to see that Lethbridge city council had the common sense to vote down a motion that would have shown a callous disregard for the lives of vulnerable Albertans.”

FOM joins Foothills front-line workers

July 03, 2019 7:50 AM

FOM stands in solidarity with Foothills front-line workers

On July 3^rd, Friends of Medicare will be joining AUPE front line workers, health care advocates, labour leaders, and community members as they come together in support of the invaluable Albertans who provide health care services and public services to all of us, day in and day out.

Advisory Council on Pharmacare recommends a single-payer, universal, public pharmacare system

June 12, 2019 5:01 PM

Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare recommends a single-payer, universal, public pharmacare system

Today was a historical day for public health care. The Advisory Council for the Implementation of National Pharmacare released its final report, recommending a universal, single-payer pharmacare program. Following a year-long consultation process with Canadians and stakeholder groups, the Advisory Council has taken the first major step towards finally achieving a national prescription drug plan for all.

“Canadians have spoken and have said clearly that we don’t want to wait another 53 years to implement a national pharmacare plan,” says Sandra Azocar, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “After decades of advocacy and report after report calling for a national pharmacare program, Friends of Medicare is pleased to finally be seeing progress on this important issue that has impacted the lives and well-being of Canadians for so long.”

Funding delays for new supervised consumption services are unacceptable

June 03, 2019 2:00 PM

Funding delays for new supervised consumption services are unacceptable

On Friday, May 31, the UCP government announced that they will be suspending funding for supervised consumption sites currently under development in Medicine Hat and Red Deer, and a mobile consumption site in Calgary. Jason Luan, Associate Minister for Mental Health and Addictions, indicated that his party will also be conducting a review of all existing sites, and that they will be “looking at consumption sites in light of the whole strategy – the overall strategy of intervention and treatment. It is a whole scan, from awareness, prevention and intervention to treatment.” The review has halted the development of the three proposed sites, and its results could impact the continued funding of existing sites across the province.

It was a serious escalation in opioid-related deaths in Alberta that prompted a harm reduction response in the form of the approval of supervised consumption services, initially in 3 urban centres: Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge. The central tenet of harm reduction is the reduction of stigmas and judgments about drug use and addiction, and is based on the understanding that there are people who engage in these behaviors who are not willing or not able to stop doing so. Harm reduction aims to reduce the health risks associated with these behaviors, such as public safety concerns like public drug use and discarded needles, the transmission and spread of blood-borne infections, overdose, and ultimately death.

The UCP must continue work on conversion therapy in Alberta

May 29, 2019 8:31 AM

The UCP must continue work on conversion therapy in Alberta

After a media report surfaced reporting that the government had canceled the Conversion Therapy Working Group, Minister Shandro took to Twitter to challenge the headline. He argued that he had not disbanded or cancelled the group, as there was no “Ministerial Order to appoint this group.”

Minister Shandro indicated in the Legislature that “the focus for our government is that we as a government do not condone this practice in any form. No Albertan should be coerced in any way, especially vulnerable children. Vulnerable children deserve to grow up in a loving environment.”

Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister, Honorable Tyler Shandro

April 30, 2019 3:44 PM

MEDIA RELEASE
APRIL 30, 2019
EDMONTON

Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister, Honorable Tyler Shandro

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

Friends of Medicare would like to congratulate our new Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro. We are looking forward to engaging with Minister Shandro as we move forward in ensuring that our public health care is protected and expanded for all Albertans.

Minister Shandro, a lawyer by profession, is well known in conservative circles, but brand new to health care. The Ministry of Health is the largest and most complex portfolio in the Alberta government, and Minister Shandro has a big learning curve ahead of him in understanding the intricacies of its governance and structure.

News

Government-appointed “Blue Ribbon Panel” sets the stage for 4 years of unwarranted austerity budgets

Government-appointed “Blue Ribbon Panel” sets the stage for 4 years of unwarranted austerity budgets

FOM welcomes Lethbridge City Council’s common-sense vote on continued provincial funding for SCS

FOM welcomes Lethbridge City Council’s common-sense vote on continued provincial funding for SCS

FOM joins Foothills front-line workers

FOM stands in solidarity with Foothills front-line workers

Advisory Council on Pharmacare recommends a single-payer, universal, public pharmacare system

Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare recommends a single-payer, universal, public pharmacare system

Funding delays for new supervised consumption services are unacceptable

Funding delays for new supervised consumption services are unacceptable

The UCP must continue work on conversion therapy in Alberta

The UCP must continue work on conversion therapy in Alberta

Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister, Honorable Tyler Shandro

Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister, Honorable Tyler Shandro

Albertans will pay for the UCP's fiscally irresponsible political gimmick to quash public laboratory services

Albertans will pay for the UCP's fiscally irresponsible political gimmick to quash public laboratory services

Friends of Medicare's statement on Premier-elect Jason Kenney's election win

Friends of Medicare’s statement on Premier-elect Jason Kenney’s election win

Extended seniors coverage is a welcome step towards ultimate goal of achieving a truly universal drug plan

Reducing pharmaceutical cost barriers for seniors is a welcome step towards ultimate goal of achieving a truly universal drug plan

Government-appointed “Blue Ribbon Panel” sets the stage for 4 years of unwarranted austerity budgets