Today, the Alberta NDP released documents which show the UCP government’s intent to dismantle Alberta Health Services, with a drastic plan for restructuring and the potential for even more contracting out of Alberta’s vital health care services.

The outlined plan would be a massive undertaking that would impact every area of our already struggling public health care system. It provides little information to suggest how it will improve local decision making power as purported. Instead, the UCP government intends to disassemble and silo the various sectors of our public health care system, potentially creating even more barriers to access.

This afternoon, Gurinder Brar, MLA for Calgary North East, tabled Bill 201: the Alberta Health Care Insurance (Access Fees) Amendment Act. If passed, this legislation would ban access fees and membership-only health care, and require the Minister to enforce the Act.

EDMONTON — This afternoon, Danielle Smith tabled her first Speech from the Throne since being re-elected Premier. The speech promises disappointingly little in terms of protecting and improving Alberta’s public health care, and continues to push their failing agenda of privatization. There was no indication as to how the government plans to repair the damage they have wreaked on Alberta’s public health care system, besides proposing a vague commitment to decentralize health care decision making.

EDMONTON - The UCP government’s woefully inadequate response to what is likely the worst pediatric E. Coli outbreak in Canadian history continues to fuel mistrust in this government’s ability to respond to public health crises. Today, Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare are calling for an immediate and independent public inquiry into all entities involved – both government and non-government.

Earlier today, the Premier and Health Minister announced that Alberta’s community lab services will go back to being delivered by our public labs across the province, taking services back from DynaLIFE.

EDMONTON - On December 1, following multiple delays, Alberta’s community medical laboratory services were formally transitioned from being publicly delivered by Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), to being privately delivered by for-profit company, DynaLIFE. In the months since, people in communities across Alberta in need of blood work have continuously reported ongoing delays, or weeks-long waits

A Calgary clinic recently informed patients they are moving to a costly membership system for primary care. Since it is illegal in Canada to bill directly for a visit to a family doctor, membership fees such as these are designed as a loophole to get around the rules and principles contained in the Canadian Health Act.

EDMONTON — Premier Smith’s mandate letter to our new Minister of Health was released today. It prioritizes ideological pet projects like the Premier’s promised health spending accounts, and pushes restructuring at Alberta Health Services as the solution to our health care challenges. Not meaningfully addressed are the staffing crisis facing our health care system, or the failures of the government’s privatization schemes to deliver as promised.

Winnipeg (Treaty No. 1 Territory), July 10, 2023 - As Canada’s provincial and territorial premiers meet, Health Coalitions across Canada are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to  demand an end to the privatization of public health care by premiers. 

CALGARY — Today representatives from health coalitions, unions, and public health care advocacy organizations across the country have come together to express their deep concerns regarding the decision of Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to enter into an exclusive 15-year contract with Grifols, a multinational pharmaceutical company. 

This deal effectively privatizes the majority of plasma collection in Canada, as Grifols has taken over other private clinics and will be expanding quickly. The terms of this contract are secret, but what has been made public clearly violates the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that created CBS, and goes against the recommendations of the Krever Commission and World Health Organization guidance.