More work still needed on universal pharmacare, long-term care standards, paid sick leave, the drug poisoning crisis, and protecting public health care in Alberta

This afternoon the federal government tabled their budget for 2022-2023. It included items laid out in the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the NDP, most notably: adding dental care coverage for children 12 and under this year.

“Dental care is health care. Yet far too many Albertans have long been forced to forego necessary dental procedures due to cost-related barriers to access, and entrenched economic inequality,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “The dental care commitment in today’s federal budget is good news for Alberta children, and we’re hopeful this will be the first step towards truly universal public dental care for all.”

April 4, 2022
EDMONTON

Instability in our health care leadership is the last thing Albertans need

Friends of Medicare deeply concerned that Dr. Yiu’s removal precedes the acceleration of the government’s privatization agenda

This morning, Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced the removal of Dr. Verna Yiu from her role as president and CEO. CTV News has since confirmed she was fired. There was a year left in Dr. Yiu’s contract, and the board did not offer any reason for her removal. 

Bill 11: Continuing Care Act does nothing to improve the quality of continuing care in Alberta

The Continuing Care Act, tabled yesterday by the UCP government, is woefully lacking in any meaningful changes to improve Alberta’s continuing care system. The Bill follows the government’s Facility-Based Continuing Care Review, and consolidates 15 pieces of current legislation that oversee our continuing care system.

Government continues attacks on AB health care workers

Front-line Workers Deserve our Respect and Solidarity, not Wage Freezes and Rollbacks

Over the weekend, Albertans learned that AUPE General Support Services members received an insulting package of bargaining proposals, including four years of 0% wage increases, as well as a variety of rollbacks to their collective agreement.

Just weeks after the government boasted about balancing the budget at the expense of our public services, they are forging ahead with their short-sighted austerity agenda by undermining front-line staff in an already overstretched health care system. 

Once again, the government is pushing privatization instead of investing in strengthening our public health care when we need it most

Further privatization in health care was the predictable theme of today’s provincial budget. A keystone item was the government following through on their stated plan to greatly expand private surgical services in Alberta, by accelerating the Alberta Surgical Initiative.

“The government’s budget was more of the same. It presents very little in terms of new plans for our health care, instead defaulting to the same old tired strategy of cuts and privatization. It was their plan all along, it was merely delayed as a result of the pandemic,’ said Chris Gallaway Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. “The UCP government’s unprecedented pursuit of privatization throughout this health care budget represents the abandonment of Albertans and our health care system when we need it most.”

The UCP government’s agenda continues to prioritize privatization over Albertans’ health care needs

EDMONTON -- This afternoon the Alberta government tabled their Speech from the Throne. It promised disappointingly little in terms of protecting and improving Alberta’s public health care, and provided no indication as to how the government plans to repair the damage that their approach to COVID-19 has wreaked on our health care system. 

Health care announcements keep being made... but something seems fishy. With all the politicking, real intentions can be hard to parse—That's why we created this decoder. 

Watch out for these words! When the government uses them, what they’re really talking about is their plan to continue privatizing and dismantling our public health care system.

This Op Ed by FOM's Executive Director, Chris Gallaway, originally appeared in the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald on February 15, 2022.

Premiers' demand for federal dollars through increased Canada Health Transfer must have strings attached to ensure it goes to improving health care for all