“A high-quality and accessible post-secondary education system will be crucial to meeting the challenges of today and to a more equitable, more sustainable future. We need our colleges and universities, more than ever, to train workers who design, build, and maintain green infrastructure, who perform care work, including child care and long-term care, and the numerous other skills that contribute to our society.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
Privatization
“Ending privatization means that the millions of dollars that for-profit companies pay to their owners every year will be available to improve care in long-term care facilities” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
“Our members have seen this type of rhetoric before, which has led to cuts, layoffs, closures and privatization. Rather than simply waiting to see what happens, our union is sending a strong message to those in power that they shouldn’t forget the critical role that public services and the hardworking and dedicated people who provide them play in our province every day, no matter what challenge is put in their way." Jerry Earle, NAPE President
"Various management fees, administrative fees, interest payments and other seemingly artificial transactions with related parties appear to be used to shift profits out of taxable entities and into tax havens."
“This is an insult to these health care workers who have always been helping to keep our health care system secure and operational throughout this pandemic.” — Jason MacLean, NSGEU President.
NUPGE Annual Report: 2020 in Review is a look back on what NUPGE accomplished in 2020.
The appointment of someone linked to schemes to privatize public infrastructure as deputy minister of Finance means those concerned about the impact of privatization on the quality, cost and accountability of public services have even more reason to be vigilant.
Private companies focused on specialized services that generated higher profits so primary care and preventative health care services were both starved of resources.
"Governments are failing to protect our most vulnerable citizens. People living in residential care facilities continue to suffer and die because of the lack of decisive action.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
“Enough is enough. Perhaps the Premier isn’t being told the truth about why all these deaths are happening, and what has to be done to stop them. The truth needs to come out. Someone has to be held to account." — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
In 2010 it was claimed that the private company running the P3 would “assume the construction risk during the redevelopment period and the operations risk on revenues and expense once the site reopens.” Now that company is asking for a bailout.
“It’s clear that during the pandemic, this government has come to recognize the true value of strong public services. Front-line workers are indeed heroes.” ― Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
According to the report, it is likely that service has suffered because the private company managing the ambulance service is able to increase its profits by leaving paramedic positions vacant.
"Health care workers have been forced to walk off the job because they have no other way to respond to the United Conservative Party (UCP) government's attempts to gut Alberta's front line health care system" — Larry Brown, President of NUPGE
"When the pandemic hit, Cadham Lab employees stepped up to the challenge, processing thousands of samples, working tremendous amounts of overtime, at a pace they have never seen before. I’m told that right now they are working at about 300% of their normal capacity." — Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU President
“The MGEU/NUPGE and its members will continue to hold the government’s feet to the fire when it comes to decisions and actions that affect Manitoba families. Now is not the time to weaken and cut services. It’s time to support public services and the people who provide them.” — Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU President
“The Minister is such a hypocrite. He’s praising public health workers while continuing with the plan to tear apart the system like Kenney tears up signed pledges.” — Mike Parker, HSAA President
While families with children in public schools have to hope for the best, wealthy families who are sending their children to private schools will be able to avoid the effect of the Progressive Conservatives decision to cut the number of classes.
Even though it seems outrageous to anyone whose priority is keeping residents safe, as far as for-profit long-term care companies are concerned, calling for rules to protect people from COVID-19 to be eased when residents these homes are still getting infected and dying is good for business.