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The Hospital Employees’ Union (CUPE) has scored another hit against Campbell government’s massive health care privatization scheme. An HEU freedom of information request has uncovered the shocking news that the province’s health ministry has just 55 pages of documents in its possession to justify sweeping plans to privatize health services and facilities.

After that scant information was censored by the premier’s office, the ministry blocked all but two pages of its privatization file before releasing it to the union. A confidential budget document released by the union earlier this year revealed plans to privatize $700 million worth of health services and fire 20,000 health care workers. This latest news shows the government has no evidence to support its privatization agenda.

Similar requests to the premier and his labour minister also failed to turn up any evidence backing their claims that privatization was good for patients. The finance minister, whose deputy has met extensively with multinational health corporations, could only provide a 15-page introduction praising P3s, while withholding a further 170 pages of documents on P3s.

The government’s non-existent evidence adds momentum to the HEU-led campaign against plans for a P3 hospital in Abbotsford.