This week Council of Canadians representatives joined over 140 health care advocates from across Canada meeting with MPs new and old. Incredibly, over 130 MPs on parliament hill we met with during the lobby to protect, strengthen and expand our universal public health care.
(Council of Canadians, National Health Care Campaigner, Michael Butler meets with Ontario MPs on the future of medicare)
After nearly a decade of neglect under the Harper government, now is the time for leadership and action in health care. Canada is desperately in need of a new Health Accord, lacking a national seniors strategy, facing increased privatization of our medicare, and lacking is lacking a universal pharmacare system (among many other issues). We took our voice to Ottawa and spoke with MPs about the above issues and asked them to #stand4medicare with us.
(Council of Canadians Board Member, Leo Broderick, meets with PEI MPs on healthcare)
The coming year will be the most important period in recent memory for our public health system. The Council of Canadians is proud to be a part of this important conversation across the country and on all levels of government. As a long standing and respected voice for equity and social justice (over 30 years!) we will continue to fight for Canada’s most cherished social program, medicare.
(Council of Canadians, Organizing Assistant, Ailish Morgan meeting with Ontario MPs on health care)
The MPs we met with joined us for a photo to show they #stand4medicare and we asked them where they stand on a variety of issues. Overall, as would be expected the tone in Ottawa has changed. MPs were generally receptive to the issues we brought forward and we will continue to pressure them to support strengthening medicare. Later this year we will be taking the lobby to their local constituencies with our members to ensure they are putting people’s health before profit.
(Council of Canadians, Board Members Ken Kavanagh and Andrea Furlong, bring the health care message to Newfoundland and Labrador MPs)
It is a time for vision, leadership and courage to make the health care we deserve a reality.
