We already know we can’t trust Pierre Poilievre to defend public health care in Canada. He has made a political career of attacking our social safety net and advocating for more privatization of public health care.
But if you think it couldn’t happen under Liberal leader Mark Carney, think again.
His recent record as chairman of Brookfield Asset Management does not paint an encouraging picture. As recently as November 2024, under Carney’s watch, six million Australians lost their health coverage after Brookfield acquired Australia’s second-largest hospital network - then levied additional user fees up to $100/day on patients for care.
If Mark Carney is willing to oversee American-style profiteering in health care in Australia, why should we believe he won’t do the same here in Canada?
Just a few weeks ago, when asked whether he would commit to enforcing the Canada Health Act to stop provincial governments from promoting increased privatization in health care, Carney was silent.
CUPE represents nearly 200,000 workers in the health care sector across Canada. We know that, especially in times of crisis, we need leaders who will build and strengthen public health care - not slap on user fees and cut off access to care for millions of people.
That’s why CUPE is strongly encouraging our members to vote NDP - the only party that is committed to defending public health care, and expanding the new dental care and pharmacare programs to cover even more people.