Continuing Care
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New Cabinet Needs to Take a New Approach to Health Care
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.
Written by Alyssa Pretty
June 09, 2023 -
Alberta Seniors Deserve Better this Seniors’ Week
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.
Written by Alyssa Pretty
June 06, 2023 -
Danielle Smith’s Reelection is a Chance for a Government Reset on Public Health Care
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.”
Written by Alyssa Pretty
May 30, 2023 -
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.
Written by Alyssa Pretty
March 27, 2023 -
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.
Written by Alyssa Pretty
March 10, 2023 -
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?
Written by Alyssa Pretty
March 08, 2023 -
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.”
Written by Alyssa Pretty
February 28, 2023 -
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.”
Written by Alyssa Pretty
February 23, 2023 -
An update from our Executive Director
This week marks a full year since I began my role as the Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. The year has truly flown by! I am honoured to be doing this work alongside all of you.
I want to take a moment to reflect on the year that’s been, and where we are headed in 2023. Below are some of the highlights from key areas we’ve been focused on at Friends of Medicare.
Written by Chris Gallaway
January 20, 2023 -
Health Coalitions warn health funding without strings is not in the public interest
Federal health dollars must come with accountability and national standards
OTTAWA — As Canada’s premiers and the federal NDP ramp up the pressure on the Trudeau government, Health Coalitions across Canada are demanding that any increase in public health funding be used in the public interest and not be used to privatize health care.
Written by Alyssa Pretty
December 16, 2022