News
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DynaLIFE continues to fight its own workers as privatized labs struggle to provide lab services
Friends of Medicare stands in solidarity with laboratory workers in their fight for fairness
This morning, Alberta’s medical laboratory workers called on DynaLIFE to return to the bargaining table, and to commit to fairness. Lab workers provide incredibly important services to Albertans, essential for timely diagnostics and treatment. Yet once again, just like when DynaLIFE tried to take away their pension plan, this private company’s profits are being prioritized at the expense of working conditions, public oversight, and patient care. All while Alberta is facing a chronic short-staffing crisis throughout our health care system.
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Fact Check: UCP’s health care privatization actions speak louder than words
EDMONTON – At a campaign stop this morning, UCP Leader Danielle Smith made a “Public Health Guarantee” to Albertans as we head into the provincial election. As Albertans will no doubt recall, this is the exact same campaign tactic former UCP leader Jason Kenney used before proceeding to privatize large portions of the Alberta health care system once in power.
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Supreme Court Decision on Cambie Case is Great News for Public Medicare
Friends of Medicare's statement on today's Supreme Court decision
EDMONTON – This morning, public health advocates across the country were heartened to learn that the Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed Dr. Brian Day and Cambie Surgeries Corporation’s attempt to overturn previous decisions made by BC’s courts, a conclusive decision to uphold Canadians’ rights to public health care based on need, not the ability to pay.
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Federal Budget Must Strengthen and Expand Public Health Care for Albertans
The Trudeau government is set to release their next federal budget on Tuesday, March 28 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
OTTAWA — The Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) signed between the Liberals and NDP last year put the health of people’s teeth, the cost of medication, better long-term care, and the future of our health care system at the centre of federal policy discussion and budgeting.
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Alberta Must Follow Manitoba’s Lead and Expand Diabetes Coverage
EDMONTON — In last week’s Manitoba budget tabled by Progressive Conservative Premier Heather Stefanson, their government announced universal coverage for continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps for people living with diabetes. Both Diabetes Canada and JDRF Canada have called this announcement a huge win for Manitobans living with diabetes.
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Third Pandemic Anniversary a Time to Commit to Structural Changes and Meaningful Supports
EDMONTON — Tomorrow marks 3 years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. While Albertans continue to be impacted, and while people in this province are still getting sick and dying from this disease, our governments would rather declare the pandemic over and move on. To date over 5600 people have died of COVID-19 in this province.
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Blog: How does Budget 2023 stack up for our health care?
Last week, the UCP passed their final budget Albertans will see before voting in this spring’s provincial election. The government spent the days leading up to Budget Day trying to assure Albertans that health care would be taken care of. Premier Smith and her AHS administrator appointee, Dr. John Cowell even went so far as to declare that our health care system is no longer in crisis, a claim which was swiftly quashed by the people actually working on the front-lines of Alberta’s public health care.
But behind all the political boasting and rhetoric, how does this budget really stack up when it comes to Alberta's health care?
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Election-Style Budget Doesn’t Change the Government’s Record on Health Care
Friends of Medicare’s initial response to the provincial budget
EDMONTON — This afternoon, the Smith government released their 2023-2024 provincial budget, the final budget Albertans will see before voting in this spring’s provincial election.
“The UCP government spent the last 4 years making decisions geared at breaking our public health care system, repeatedly throwing the system into crisis in order to justify an agenda of privatization,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, “Yet, now that they are headed into a tight election, where health care is the top issue for Albertans, they have tabled a budget claiming to be the champions of fixing our health care.”
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Government Announcements will Accelerate Health Care Privatization in Alberta
EDMONTON — Earlier today the Governments of Canada and Alberta announced an agreement in principle for increased federal health funding. The agreement states some good shared goals, but it is concerning that there are no strings or accountability measures attached to this new federal money.
“There is no doubt that our provincial public health care system is in need of more support right now, but new federal dollars must come with accountability measures and strings attached to ensure that it goes where patients need it,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “Our Premier should not be handed a blank cheque to be used to accelerate their plans for further privatization. Unfortunately, that’s what we saw with today’s agreement in principle.”
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Auditor General Reports Show Alberta is Failing Our Seniors
EDMONTON — The office of the Auditor General has released new reports looking at long-term care in Alberta and evaluating our initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They concluded that “insufficient preparedness, severe care staffing shortages, and outdated infrastructure were among the key findings in the newly released Report of the Auditor General—COVID-19 in Continuing Care Facilities.”