At least nine Council of Canadians chapters will be participating in the Canadian Health Coalition’s National Spring Constituency Lobby for Public Health Care this week (May 19-22).
With the federal election expected on October 19th, the Canadian Health Coalition notes, “This is an opportunity for the pro-medicare movement to send a strong signal that health care will be a vote-deciding issue in the upcoming federal election. …Through this spring constituency lobby we will make clear to MPs that people within their own constituency will be asking questions about their party’s position on health care and will be voting based on these responses. We know that Canadians want to see federal leadership in public health care including a national pharmacare plan as well as a national plan to provide continuing care to our aging family members.”
The Council of Canadians chapters participating in this week of lobbying in constituency offices across the country include Charlottetown, Saint John, Sudbury, London, South Niagara, Prince Albert, Vancouver, Kamloops, Comox Valley and likely St. John’s and Kelowna. Council of Canadians health care campaigner Michael Butler will also be meeting with a Toronto-area Liberal MP tomorrow.
They will be asking MPs if they will:
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Implement a first-dollar coverage, universal, public pharmacare program with the provinces and territories -
Enforce the standards in the Canada Health Act, including the ban on extra-billing and user fees, and enforcement of reporting requirements -
Commit to a continuing care strategy that integrates home, facility-based long-term, respite & palliative care
On March 31, eighteen Council of Canadians chapters took part in protests across the country to mark the one year anniversary of the expiry of the Canada Health Accord, to condemn the $36 billion in reduced funding that will come with the Harper government’s new funding formula for health care, and to call for a new health accord. On November 25, 2014, the Council of Canadians joined with the Canadian Health Coalition for the 2014 National Medicare Week lobby on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. And between April and December, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow and CUPE president Paul Moist spoke against cutbacks and privatization at public forums in Winnipeg, Moncton, Bridgewater, Regina, North Bay, Charlottetown, Oshawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Campbell River, Courtenay, St. John’s and Corner Brook. During that tour, 42,500 homes were canvassed to share information on the importance of public health care.
The Council of Canadians says:
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No to inequality and privatization -
Yes to a 10-year accord with annual six percent increases, as well as pharmacare, continuing care and dental care -
Yes to at least 25 percent federal funding -
Yes to public solutions -
Yes to a single accord that strengthens our public system
For more on our campaign to defend and expand public health care, please click here.