Fighting to Build Health Care

Canadian Autoworker's Union
November 30, 2011

CAW activists from right across Nova Scotia took part in a public rally to strengthen and extend Canada's Medicare system.

Assistant to the President Deb Tveit and Director of Health Care Katha Fortier joined in the Halifax rally, along with activists from a number of other unions, coalition partners, and concerned citizens on November 25.

The rally was held at the city's Victoria Park, across the street from where Canada's health ministers were meeting for first discussions on what the 2014 Health Accord should look like. The Accord sets the amount of money that will be transferred to the provinces for health care, and the conditions under which they will receive funding.

Tveit said that the outcome of these ongoing discussions will affect the Canadian health care system for years. "Recent polling indicates that 94 per cent of all Canadians support public solutions to strengthen Medicare and this Accord represents our opportunity to push this issue with the Harper Conservatives to expand our current system to include national pharmacare and continuing care outside of hospitals."

Speakers included Maude Barlow, Chair of the Council of Canadians, and Sean Meagher, Executive Director of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. Both argued that Medicare is sustainable and that we should use this opportunity to expand public services and clamp down on privatization, indicating that a public system always results in better patient outcomes.