April 27, 2022
EDMONTON

The Day of Mourning: Statement from Friends of Medicare

The government’s attempts to use the pandemic as political cover to sell off our vital public health care going into high gear.

Today, Health Minister Copping announced that the government would be moving forward with plans to further privatize Alberta’s surgical services, specifically our ophthalmology. 

More work still needed on universal pharmacare, long-term care standards, paid sick leave, the drug poisoning crisis, and protecting public health care in Alberta

This afternoon the federal government tabled their budget for 2022-2023. It included items laid out in the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the NDP, most notably: adding dental care coverage for children 12 and under this year.

“Dental care is health care. Yet far too many Albertans have long been forced to forego necessary dental procedures due to cost-related barriers to access, and entrenched economic inequality,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “The dental care commitment in today’s federal budget is good news for Alberta children, and we’re hopeful this will be the first step towards truly universal public dental care for all.”

Friends of Medicare deeply concerned that Dr. Yiu’s removal precedes the acceleration of the government’s privatization agenda

This morning, Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced the removal of Dr. Verna Yiu from her role as president and CEO. CTV News has since confirmed she was fired. There was a year left in Dr. Yiu’s contract, and the board did not offer any reason for her removal. 

Bill 11: Continuing Care Act does nothing to improve the quality of continuing care in Alberta

The Continuing Care Act, tabled yesterday by the UCP government, is woefully lacking in any meaningful changes to improve Alberta’s continuing care system. The Bill follows the government’s Facility-Based Continuing Care Review, and consolidates 15 pieces of current legislation that oversee our continuing care system.

Front-line Workers Deserve our Respect and Solidarity, not Wage Freezes and Rollbacks.

Over the weekend, Albertans learned that AUPE General Support Services members received an insulting package of bargaining proposals, including four years of 0% wage increases, as well as a variety of rollbacks to their collective agreement.

Just weeks after the government boasted about balancing the budget at the expense of our public services, they are forging ahead with their short-sighted austerity agenda by undermining front-line staff in an already overstretched health care system. 

Today’s agreement between the Liberals and NDP includes concrete action on universal Pharmacare and dental care in Canada

An evidence-based approach that includes harm reduction is urgently needed to save lives in Alberta

Despite 2021 being Alberta's deadliest year yet for fatal drug poisoning, today’s post-budget government release on their model for addiction and mental health continues to ignore the vital importance of harm reduction.

The Alberta Government is seeking wage rollbacks as high as 10.93% in bargaining with the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA)

Heading into the weekend, Albertans learned on Twitter of the UCP’s shameful bargaining proposal to cut the wages of frontline health care workers, with proposed rollbacks as high as 10.93%.