EDMONTON -- Earlier this morning, the new UCP cabinet was sworn in. Adriana LaGrange was named Minister of Health, Dan Williams as Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, and Jason Nixon as Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services.

All of these ministers are new to their portfolios. Both former UCP Ministers of Health lost their seats in the election. The same is true for both past Ministers responsible for seniors, who had been failing seniors in care as per recent Auditor General reports, as well as past Ministers responsible for mental health and addictions, including the government’s failing abstinence-only approach to the drug poisoning crisis. 

Alberta Seniors’ Week is the first full week of June every year, and is a chance for Albertans to show appreciation for Alberta’s seniors and all that they contribute to Alberta. 

EDMONTON — This Senior’s Week, Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare continue to call for the return of an independent Seniors’ Advocate, for Alberta to get on board with universal pharmacare, and for a comprehensive system of service delivery that ensures the well-being of seniors by ensuring their mental, physical, social and financial needs are met.

Last night, following a hotly contested election in which health care dominated the agenda, Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party was reelected to a much slimmer majority government.

“Friends of Medicare would like to congratulate and thank all those who took an active role in our democracy by letting their names stand for election,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “Our province is made better by this exercise in democratic debate.” 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?