Premiers hear private health care is a poison pill
Halifax/Kjipuktuk – Hundreds of frontline health care workers and patient advocates rallied outside the Council of the Federation meeting in Halifax on Tuesday, July 16 to send a strong message to Canada’s premiers that our health care is not for sale, and we want universal pharmacare now. The rally took place at Peace & Friendship Park, across the street from where the premiers were gathering at the Westin Hotel.
About 300 people joined the noon hour rally as premiers sometimes watched from the balcony of the Westin.
BREAKING 300+ Canadians express disapproval of the Premiers’ handling of health care in front of the meeting of the Council of the Federation in Halifax. « Privatization is a poison pill » not a solution to the health care crisis. pic.twitter.com/zzmmEQLVRy
— Cdn Health Coalition (@HealthCoalition) July 16, 2024
“This is our opportunity to do what Tommy Douglas did, and lock in what he always wanted, pharmacare, before the next election, just as he did with Medicare in 1962,” said Dr. Robert Barkwell, Chair of the Nova Scotia Health Coalition.
“This rally for public health care is to put the premiers on notice,” said Canadian Health Coalition Chair Jason MacLean. “We cannot and will not stand by as public health care is privatized and workers are left trying to keep the public system functioning. Stop the privatization, invest in public health care and move forward with pharmacare.”
A new poll by Environics Research for the Canadian Health Coalition finds deep public concern about public health care. Canadians want their premiers to work with the federal government to end what 74 per cent believe is a crisis in their provincial health systems.
Candace Rennick, CUPE National’s Secretary-Treasurer, said, “Let’s make it clear to all Premiers, to Prime Minister Trudeau and want-a-be Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre: we are organized, and we will mobilize, and we will do whatever it takes to defend and expand public health care.”
Watch Rennick’s speech here –
Unifor National President Lana Payne delivered a spirited speech on the need to protect public health care.
Labour unions and public health care advocates are rallying in Halifax today to tell Canada's premiers that we demand action to support public health care! #CanLab #PoisonPill #PublicHealthCare pic.twitter.com/0ei4bK4URD
— Unifor (@UniforTheUnion) July 16, 2024
Sharon De Sousa, the newly elected president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, added to the fiery speeches from the country’s union leaders representing health care workers.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) held a breakfast for the premiers earlier in the day. Eleven premiers attended. The nurses urged the premiers to prioritize care for all ages. At the rally, Linda Silas, president of CFNU, denounced the use of agency nurses, a hot topic in Atlantic Canada right now.
Canada’s union nurses are out in full force, rallying for public health care with the @HealthCoalition and countless supporters in Halifax today ✊
— Canada's Nurses (@CFNU) July 16, 2024
As @CFNUPresident Linda Silas says, public health care is not for sale!#cdnhealth #canlab #cdnpoli #nspoli pic.twitter.com/bMDjbd62Ws
The national executive board of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) was meeting in Halifax at the same time the premiers were meeting. The day before the rally, NUGPE staff and members heard from the Canadian Health Coalition’s Steve Staples on the results of a new survey of perspectives of people from across Canada on health care. The results show similar but also different views on health care across the provinces and territories and across different demographics.
Stating her support for universal, free contraception at the rally was Natasha Hines, a registered nurse and the chair and clinical director of Nova Scotia-based Wellness Within. She said: “Universal, free contraception will allow all people with a uterus to exercise control of their own bodies and reproduction regardless of age, race, gender, financial or employment status. It provides life-changing and life-saving opportunities for people by preventing pregnancy and treating a variety of health conditions. Access to free contraception allows people to live healthy, fulfilling, and empowered lives.”
Stacey Gomez, executive director of the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia, also spoke at the rally for public health care and universal pharmacare that leaves no one behind.
“Migrants are integral members of our communities and essential workers in many sectors. They help to grow our economy and pay taxes. Yet, migrants are typically excluded from public health care coverage and access to crucial medications based on their immigration status. This can have devastating life or death consequences. We need public health care and a universal pharmacare program which leaves no one behind,” said Gomez.
Gomez shared the stories of champions for migrant health care, Nell Toussaint and Kerian Burnett. Burnett was present at the rally. After a two year struggle to get coverage for her cancer treatments, Burnett now has a Medical Services Insurance (MSI) card, Nova Scotia’s public health care.
Provincial health coalitions across the country also spoke out against the privatization of health care.
“In Alberta, we continue to see repeated closures of our emergency and urgent care centres, and delayed and canceled surgeries as a result of the widespread short-staffing crisis impacting every part of our health care system. But our provincial government’s unwillingness to stray from their aggressive privatization agenda is only making this bad situation worse,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare.
“In Québec, our leaders are increasingly opening the door to private health care with impunity,” said Julie Bouchard, president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ). “If we want to preserve one of the strongest and most distinctive legacies of our society, namely universal and accessible health care, we must mobilize to defend it against capitalist interests. It is inhumane to have to pay for health care.”
“Canadians know that the public health care system is by far the best way to deliver health care in Canada and they did not give the provincial premiers a mandate to privatize it,” said Mary Boyd, Chair of the PEI Health Coalition.
The rally was organized by the Nova Scotia Health Coalition and the Canadian Health Coalition. Both coalitions are made up of labour unions representing health care workers, community organizations, and experts, including people with lived experience of not being able to access health care and medicine.
Tracy Glynn is the National Director of Projects and Operations for the Canadian Health Coalition
