December 16 2024

The Fall Economic Statement was tabled today amid political turmoil in Ottawa, as finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her post just hours before. While this will be the headline today, it must not distract from the need for the federal government to address the real challenges facing workers and communities.

For the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), it’s crucial that the government, whoever is at the helm, make progress on key issues facing our members and Canadians—fixing the health care crisis, strengthening public services, and tackling climate change. While the federal government appears to finally recognize that Canadians are struggling, it does not seem that the funding and other commitments announced are enough to meaningfully address what are systemic issues.

The government acknowledges the challenges facing our health care system, in particular, but the response is wholly insufficient. It is looking at creating a standard-setting framework to enable the mobility of health care workers across the country, but without coordination and a real strategy, this could lead to harmful impacts in some places. NUPGE has been calling for a pan-Canadian strategy to attract, train, and retain health care professionals, with a focus on retaining public health care workers. NUPGE is concerned that, in the midst of a generational crisis in health care, the federal government is not taking steps to increase the actual number of workers or resources in our health care system.

More broadly, federal investment in public services, whether it is health care, post-secondary education, non-market housing, or social services, are crucial to meeting the needs of Canadians and workers in these sectors.

The economic statement says little about climate action. There are some encouraging updates, such as additional funding to support home energy efficiency retrofits. This shows how investing in climate action and addressing the high cost of living can go hand-in-hand, but such efforts must be expanded to be more ambitious and encompass more Canadians. Indeed, we can’t afford not to invest in climate action.

In the coming days, NUPGE will be reviewing the Fall Economic Statement in greater detail and analyzing what it means for workers and Canadians.