Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare, made the following statement today following the Alberta government's Throne Speech:

The 2020 Throne Speech not only outlines business that the government will bring to the Legislative Assembly in the upcoming session, but also serves to direct the political discourse and narrative intended to shape and influence how we view and respond to the political challenges facing us.

When it comes to health care policy, this year’s Throne Speech provided little more than a reiteration of prior announcements already made by the government. We saw once again their commitment to cutting and privatizing throughout the sector, through reforms like the Surgical Wait Times Initiative. Again, we see that this government will be moving forward with little regard to the patients and health care providers who are already being impacted by their wayward economic policy decisions made in the name of short-term “savings.”