Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow was presented with the prestigious Bread and Roses Award this afternoon by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union.
Barlow was given the award for her outstanding contributions to policy and decision-making, raising public awareness, lobbying governments, and educating members and the public.
The CFNU is holding its 17th Biennial Convention in Halifax this week. Barlow is scheduled to give a keynote address at the convention tomorrow morning.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions represents close to 200,000 nurses and student nurses and advances solutions to improve patient care, working conditions and our public health care system. They highlight that patients and nurses need effective advocates. They make sure that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, other MPs and top-levels bureaucrats know what nurses think.
Yesterday, CFNU president Linda Silas outlined her reasons for urging the federal government to create a national pharmacare program which would save taxpayers about $9 billion a year and ensure all Canadians have access to the full treatments they require under Canada’s public health care system. The CFNU has also urged all political parties to make their positions on federal support for public health care clear during the campaign for the October 19 federal election. Silas says, “All parties should put forward their vision for the future of public health care so that nurses and the public have a say on the role they want the federal government to play in the country’s medicare system.”
To learn more about the CFNU, please click here.
Photos: Barlow receives the Bread and Roses Award this afternoon. Twitter photo by James Hutt and CFNU.
