Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.

Ottawa, Ontario – CUPE has given its support to a judicial remedy to eliminate extra patient fees in Quebec and to ensure the enforcement of the Canada Health Act. A suit to this effect was filed on May 2 by the Réseau FADOQ, the largest seniors’ association in Quebec and Canada, with 425,000 members.

“On behalf of more than 635,000 CUPE members across Canada and more than 110,000 CUPE members in Québec, I heartily congratulate the Réseau FADOQ on this initiative. Billing for medically required health care is a growing scandal. It is an attack on the dignity of the less fortunate and an attack on the very foundations of our public health care system. It is high time for the Couillard Government to be put in its place on this issue,” said Lucie Levasseur, President of CUPE-Quebec and General Vice-President of CUPE.

The leaders of CUPE National also joined their voices to the demand for the withdrawal of extra fees.

“We know that public universal healthcare is the fairest and most effective system. CUPE is at the forefront when it comes to protecting, and even expanding, our public system. We support and work closely with organizations that share the same principles. We therefore welcome the efforts of the Réseau FADOQ to enforce the principles of the Canada Health Act, including the prohibition of incidental fees and extra billing,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock.

“Quebecers oppose extra billing and the increasing privatization of our health care system. The Quebec Government has established dangerous precedents that will reduce access to care for many citizens. We are fighting for the public system at every level: at the negotiating table, in the political sphere, and on the streets with our allies. And if necessary, we also believe in taking the legal route,” concluded CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Fleury.

For more information:

Greg Taylor
CUPE Media Relations
613 818-0067
gtaylor@cupe.ca