July 21 2025

Leaders of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) will be present at the upcoming Council of the Federation (CoF) meeting of Canada’s Premiers July-21-23, in Huntsville, Ontario.

Ongoing cuts and lack of investment undermine public services

NUPGE President Bert Blundon and Board members representing 425,000 workers across the country, will be on-site to call for urgent action on public sector staffing shortages. Their presence underscores the vital role of public sector workers in delivering public services to Canadians in communities across the country.  

“Public sector staffing has reached a crisis point across the country – after years of cuts, neglect and chronic understaffing,” Blundon said. “Workers are burning out while trying to provide the vital services they are deeply committed to delivering. Enough is enough.”

Blundon explained that ongoing cuts and lack of investment are harmful and short-sighted. “Cuts to public services hurt workers and every person in Canada who relies on them. Canada is only as strong as the public service workers supporting people and helping to build strong, resilient communities across the country, from health professionals, educators, public safety officers, community workers, and so many more.”

Shadow Summit on health care

NUPGE members are taking part in a 2-day Shadow Summit being held in Huntsville to coincide with the CoF meeting. The meeting is being coordinated by public health care advocates, patient groups, community-based activists, labour organizations and health coalitions from across the country with the main focus on issues related to the escalating healthcare crisis across Canada.

In a recent Abacus Data survey commissioned by NUPGE, 9 in 10 health care workers said they believe Canada’s public health care system is in crisis.

More than half regularly work with too few coworkers to provide safe, timely care. Whether it’s a radiation technologist trying to manage a backlog of scans or a home care worker scrambling to cover missed visits—these are the people holding the line, often at the expense of their own health.

• 80% of healthcare workers say short staffing is harming their physical and mental health. Burnout, emotional exhaustion, and thoughts of leaving the profession have become alarmingly common.
• 40% of health care workers are considering leaving the sector within the next three years.

That is a red flashing light—a crisis that demands immediate action.

But even in the face of this pressure, health care workers continue to fight for the system they believe in.

Our survey found that the majority of workers refuse to work in for-profit care—not because of the wages or conditions, but because of their belief in equal access to health care and their commitment to high standards of patient care. But even in the face of this pressure, health care workers continue to fight for the system they believe in.

We’ve seen major health care strikes in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia in just the last couple of years. We’ve seen negotiations go down to the wire. And at the heart of these struggles is the same message: Better working conditions mean better care.

And yet, at the same time health care workers are being pushed to their limits, the federal government is preparing to cut tens of billions of dollars from future spending—cuts that would directly undermine public services, including health care.

NUPGE is joining the chorus of others calling for bold, coordinated action:

• We need stronger federal health transfers, with the federal government funding at least 35% of health care costs—and tying that funding to national standards that protect public care and ensure accountability.
• We need to stop the outsourcing of care to private, for-profit corporations that put profits ahead of people.
• And we need a national health human resources strategy—a real plan that brings together governments, unions, employers, and educators to solve the workforce crisis.

“We need government leadership at every level to invest in retention and recruitment strategies for public sector workers that recognize experience and expertise and provide good wages, decent working conditions and safe staffing levels,” concluded Blundon.