“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.
Privatization
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.
Join us and the Ottawa Health Coalition on September 17 at 7 p.m. in a live town hall to talk about how we can make for-profit long-term care public! Register here!
By scrapping the plan for a P3 privatization scheme the Township of Mapleton saved between $2 million and $3 million.
“This proves Kenney and the rest of his UCP cohorts knew they had to hide the process from Albertans and, to be blunt, this is the most shameful decision I have seen in my 43 years working in health care in Alberta.” — Trudy Thomson, Vice-President of HSAA
The death rate for private, for-profit long-term care homes with COVID-19 outbreaks was over 4 times the rate for publicly owned homes.
For the public, privatization means we’re paying twice. Once to make up for the revenue governments lose when wealthy corporations and individuals are able to use tax havens and then again because privatization means higher costs and poorer service.