Canadian alliance urges parties to step up action on health and health care

CACHCA
August 17, 2011

This week, the association representing Canada's Community Health Centres (CHCs) submitted key health and healthcare questions to the leaders of all political parties seeking office this Fall during provincial elections in Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. These questions will also be submitted in early September to all candidates seeking office in the Northwest Territories, once official candidate lists are released.

The survey of political parties, submitted by the Canadian Alliance of Community Health Centre Associations (CACHCA), is intended to help voters in each province understand where each party stands on key commitments to improving health and health care. Responses from all parties will be posted and circulated in mid-September.

You can read a general version of the letter and survey here.

Beginning today, CACHCA is also encouraging members of the public to become involved in calling for key measures that will boost provincial health systems and improve access to high-quality, comprehensive health services. The association today released online petitions in each of the six provinces and territories, calling on the next government in each of these provinces/territories to commit to improving health and health care.
Canadians are urged to sign the online petitions, which may be found here:

• Manitoba petition
• Newfoundland and Labrador petition
• Northwest Territories petition
• Ontario petition (via Association of Ontario Health Centres)
• Prince Edward Island petition
• Saskatchewan petition 

Over the coming weeks, CACHCA will be providing further updates about how Canadians can become involved in calling for a more effective health system for all Canadians -- what Tommy Douglas and Medicare's other founders called the "second stage/phase of Medicare".