This joint-statement came out of the Canadian Health Coalition - Canadian Labour Congress Conference on the Future of Health Care, Oct. 12, 2001
The peoples of Canada believe that health is a fundamental right of every human being without distinction of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, political belief, economic or social condition. Organizations representing millions of Canadians will mobilize to defend this right and to ensure that the following principles shape the future direction of the health are system:
1. The recognition of the highest attainment of health as a fundamental right throughout life and the necessity of preserving public health through active measures of promotion, prevention, and protection including such determinants as housing, food safety, income, education, environment, employment and peace.
2. The recognition of health care as a public good in which the few must not profit at the expense of the many. We affirm the need for a system of public health care which is organized on the basis of public administration, public insurance and the delivery of services on a public, not-for-profit basis.
3. Opposition to any commercialization and privatization of health. Therefore the federal government must negotiate a general exclusion of health services and health insurance from all trade agreements.
4. The need for the federal government to fully assume its responsibilities in respect to health, particularly by restoring and increasing federal transfers to levels sufficient to secure the integrity and enforcement of the Canada Health Act, 1984.
5. The reaffirmation of the original vision of a truly comprehensive public health care system for Canadians providing a continuum of services. The next steps are the expansion of the public system to include a universal system of home and long-term care services and pharmacare.
6. The need to move away from a fee-for-service model towards a community-based, multi-disciplinary approach to the management, organization and delivery of services and care. Levels of services must be sufficient so that the burden of care does not fall on families, mainly women.
7. An accountable health care system through democratic participation and governance at all levels.
8. The recognition that health care workers are critical to the effective operation of the health care system and that decent wages, working conditions and training opportunities are essential to high quality care and the retention of health care workers.
Regardless of where we live, it is now imperative to reaffirm the social values we all share. These values must guide our collective choices for future social services and public health care. They are incompatible with the commercialization of all public services sought by the international trade agenda.
We believe these values must be adhered to by all governments in Canada, even though jurisdiction is largely a provincial or territorial matter. Therefore, the principles of the Canada Health Act should be enshrined in the laws of each province and territory.
We come together to commit to direct political action to ensure that governments throughout Canada protect and expand health care based on the foundation of the Canada Health Act, 1984. What stands between Medicare and its destruction are the peoples of Canada. Future generations are depending on our vigilance.
Statement Endorsements:
Alberta Friends of Medicare
Alberta Teachers Federation
ALERT PEI
Alliance of Seniors to Protect Canada’s Social Programs
Alliance for Public Accountibility
Annapolis Valley-Hants Community Action Program for Children
Association des enselgnantes et des enselgnants francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick
Association of Allied Health Professionals of Newfoundland
Association of Ontario Health Centres
British Columbia Coalition of People with Disabilities
British Columbia Health Coalition
British Columbia Nurses Union
British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Canadian Association of University Teachers
Canadian Auto Workers
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
Canadian Crossroads International (Ontario)
Canadian Environmental Law Association
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
Canadian Federation of Students
Canadian Health Coalition
Canadian Housing and Renewal Association
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Pensioners Concerned
Canadian Religious Conference
Canadian Teachers Federation
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Cape Breton Save our Health Care Committee
Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association
Chatham-Kent District Labour Council
Communications, Energy & Paper Workers Union of Canada
Community Health Services Association Council of Canadians
Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia
Council of South Asian Seniors
Congress of Union Retirees of Canada
Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN Ontario)
Education Wife Assault
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
Faith Partners (Ottawa)
Family Service Canada
First Call: BC Child & Youth Advocacy Coalition
Green Campus Society (University of Regina)
Halton Social Planning Council (Ontario)
HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic (Ontario)
INFACT Canada
International Association of Fire Fighter
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Inter Pares
Jewish Women International of Canada
Lakehead Social Planning Council
Lantern Christian Life Centre
Manitoba Medicare Alert
Manitoba Nurses Union
Manitoba Teachers Society
Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
National Action Committee on the Status of Women
National Anti-Poverty Organization
National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation
National Union of Public and General Employees
National Council of Women of Canada
New Brunswick Nurses Union
Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association
North Bay Network for Social Action
North End Community Health Centre (Halifax
North Island AIDS Coalition Society
Northwest Women’s Centre (Thunder Bay
Nova Scotia Citizens Health Care Coalition
Nova Scotia Federation of Labour
NUPGE/Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union
NUPGE/Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Ontario Association of Food Banks
Ontario Association of Social Workers (Eastern Branch
Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens’ Organizations
Ontario Nurses’ Association
Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation
Ottawa-Carleton Child Poverty Action Group
Ottawa Health Coalition
Prince Edward Island Health Coalition
Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation
Project Genesis
Public Service Alliance of Canada
Registered Nurses Association of Onatario
Rights and Democracy
Saskatchewan Federation of Teachers
Saskatchewan Health Coalition
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
Sault Ste. Marie Diocesan Social Affairs Office
Seniors’ Action and Liaison Team (Edmonton)
Service Employees International Union
South Asian Women’s Centre
Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees
Toronto Health Coalition
Toronto Women’s Health Network
United Church of Canada
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada
United Nurses of Alberta
United Steelworkers of America
Vancouver Women’s Health Collective
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada
Working Group on Women and Health Protection
** If your organization would like to endorse this statement please let us know by e-mail or telephone (613-521-3400 Ext. 311#) or fax (613-521-9638)
“The public has an abiding sense of the values of fairness and equity and do not want to see a health system in which the rich are treated differently from the poor. The Forum supports this view and supports necessary changes to our system only if we preserve the essence of medicare - universal coverage based on need, without financial barrier, portable across the country, to a comprehensive array of publically administered health care services– National Forum on Health, 1997