Canada’s Medicare system is under attack. The Federal government has offloaded their healthcare responsibilities onto the provinces. The Conservatives have underfunded healthcare, encouraged privatization and halted progress on national standards and expand Medicare.
Soon we will face an even bigger threat. The current federal-provincial health care agreement – the Health Accord – expires in 2014. The Conservatives have said they plan to decrease their financial contribution – the Canada Health Transfer – by $36 billion after the next federal election.
For Islanders this will mean cuts to our public system of $144 million over the next 10 years – that’s the equivalent of eliminating all homecare services across the province for 8 years! We cannot afford these drastic cuts to health care.
CUPE is responding to this threat by launching a nation-wide campaign that will pressure the Federal government to renegotiate a fair Health Accord. We need to make sure that Islanders have access to the same health care services as those in all other Canadian provinces.
CUPE’s campaign will be rolling out in three provinces in 2013 and we’re starting with PEI! The two-week campaign starts September 9th, 2013 and ends September 21st, 2013.
Working together with the Council of Canadians, the PEI Health Coalition and others, CUPE will be organizing workshops, mass public outreach, and media-grabbing public events including the Shout Out for Health Care Townhall (September 17th, 2013) and a Festival for Public Medicare (Sept. 21st)!
The federal government cannot continue to get away with abdicating their responsibilities to Islanders. The Conservatives’ privatization by stealth strategy hurts smaller provinces like PEI the most.
It’s time they paid their fair share of the health care bill – at least 25%. The federal government must negotiate a new Health Accord with the Premiers that will meet the needs of Islanders, treat everyone in Canada fairly, and provide the care that we need to be healthy and age with dignity.
Please join us in the fight to save health care! Sign up for a workshop in a location near you!
Dates and Locations to be added to the events Calendar Soon!