October 20, 2020 1:26 PM
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Legislature Fall Session marks the Fall of Fighting Back for our Public Health Care
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As MLAs return to work today, Albertans can expect to continue to see steps in pursuit of this government’s ongoing agenda to privatize our public health care.
Since the release of the UCP’s 2019 election platform, this government has remained steadfast in that goal. The release of the McKinnon report back in September 2019, followed by the AHS Performance Review in February, provided the ideological fodder, as both made recommendations for sweeping changes to our health care system through major privatization. The government has been quick to act on those recommendations, introducing legislative changes that have provided the legal framework for the privatization of our medical laboratories, in-hospital support services, and surgeries, among others, as well as the announcement that upwards of 11,000 people will be laid off from AHS. This past weekend at the UCP AGM, we saw members narrowly pass a policy which directs the party to pursue a ‘privately funded and privately managed health-care system’ in Alberta.
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October 13, 2020 1:56 PM
October 13, 2020
EDMONTON
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Kenney & his government cannot be trusted with our public health care system
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Today’s release of the AHS Performance Review Proposed Implementation Plan is, in short, the biggest betrayal of Albertans by any government.
“Once again, this Premier and his government are callously advancing plans to suit their aggressive privatization agenda in health care,” says Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. “Kenney’s UCP government continues to demonstrate nothing but disdain for the women and men working on health care’s front lines. Considering how central they have proven themselves in the province’s pandemic response, this whole plan is an insult to health care workers, and it’s a betrayal of the patients who depend on them.”
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October 01, 2020 9:58 AM
Seniors Deserve Better this International Day of Older Persons
This October 1st marks the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons. This year, as we contend with the ongoing upheaval caused by the COVID-19 global health crisis, we must also bear witness to the suffering caused by the long-standing failures of our seniors’ care system.
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September 29, 2020 10:49 AM
Throne Speech: Premiers Should Not Play Partisan Politics with Health Care; Concrete Commitments Needed From Provincial & Federal Governments
Health Coalitions across Canada were pleased with Throne Speech promises to expand public health care to create a universal comprehensive public pharmacare program and to set national standards for long-term care. However, concrete commitments are conspicuously absent.
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September 24, 2020 11:33 AM
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Government must take responsibility for the outcome of Alberta’s other ongoing public health emergency
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Yesterday, while the media was focused on the federal throne speech, the Alberta government quietly released their much anticipated Opioid Response Surveillance quarterly report. Harm reduction advocates, including those whose lives have been personally impacted by overdose, have been pleading for Jason Luan, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to release the latest report since the quarter ended in June. Now that it is publicly available, the report confirms what those close to the issue have feared. The most up-to-date data shows that 449 people have died from apparent unintentional opioid poisoning in just the first six months of 2020.
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September 17, 2020 10:48 AM
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Sawhney must protect the health of Albertans with disabilities and stop privatization
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Friends of Medicare are calling on Minister of Community and Social Services Rajan Sawhney to listen to the advice of guardians and a physiotherapist and stop any movement towards privatization of disability services.
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September 10, 2020 1:53 PM
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Friends of Medicare responds to the Cambie decision
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Today, the BC courts made a historic decision on the infamous Cambie Case, ruling that provincial laws which limit a two-tier health care system do not contravene the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Public health care advocates and proponents in British Columbia and all across Canada have long been anxiously awaiting the decision, which held the potential to drastically alter the direction of the future of our public health care system. With this 880 page ruling, the court has fortified the central principle that underlies Canada’s public health care system—that care should be available based on our need, not on whether we have the ability to pay. Today, we have witnessed a major win for public health care, and for every Canadian who relies on it.
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September 01, 2020 2:43 PM
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AB government doubles down on the sale of seniors’ care to profit
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Today’s announcement by Premier Kenney and Health Minister Shandro, boasting a ‘new approach’ to creating continuing care spaces featured nothing of the sort. Instead, what we’re seeing is this government perpetuating the same old system that has been in crisis for decades. A crisis that is the direct result of rampant privatization, and a funding structure that creates incentives for both not-for-profit and especially for-profit providers to underpay their staff, and understaff their facilities.
“It is beyond comprehension as to why this government refuses to learn from the ongoing public health emergency that is COVID-19, despite the glaring light it has cast onto the long-existing cracks and weakness in our senior’s care system,” says Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare.
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August 31, 2020 1:29 PM
On August 31, 2020—a day marking both International Overdose Awareness Day and the closure of North America's busiest supervised consumption site—over 200 harm reduction supporters and advocates signed an open letter to the Alberta government to denounce the decision to cut all funding to and close Lethbridge’s SCS, and urge them to immediately reverse the decision and reinstate appropriate funding and support new leadership to scale up SCS in Lethbridge.
Read that letter in it's entirety here:
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August 31, 2020 1:08 PM
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On International Overdose Awareness Day Albertans must also mourn the loss of Lethbridge's SCS
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Today, on International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember the Albertans who have died of overdose, and send out our solidarity to the parents, grandparents, children, families, and friends of those who have lost their lives.
Ironically, while we remember and mourn, we must simultaneously watch this government move ahead with the closure of ARCHES, North America’s busiest supervised consumption site (SCS). ARCHES, located in Lethbridge, was recently audited by the Alberta government, which found evidence of misallocation of public funds. In response, rather than to address the issue directly, the government has instead elected to cease all funding to ARCHES, and close the facility altogether. ARCHES’ SCS, which opened in early 2018, sees up to 800 visits a day, and provides many additional services including needle pickup, community outreach, and referrals to addictions treatment and other supports. The facility has been replaced for the time being by a mobile site with a 3 person capacity.
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