That’s the message that CUPE Alberta delivered loud and clear to Premier Ralph Klein as he moved to create private hospitals in the province.
Caught off guard by CUPE’s TV ads early in the new year, the premier has been reeling from one disaster to the next as CUPE and its allies have mobilized Albertans in opposition to Klein’s two-tier health plans. Through postcards, radio and print ads, rallies and most importantly, talking to their neighbours, CUPE members have kept up the pressure on Klein.
On the national front, we’ve been no less active. Beginning with the Premiers’ conference in Quebec City, followed up with the national ambulance tour, a stinging response to the federal budget, the release of two major legal opinions and persistent lobbying of key federal and provincial officials, CUPE has been making headlines in defence of Medicare.
“Unless they move fast, the Chrétien Liberals could well go down in history as the party that killed Medicare,” says National President Judy Darcy. “We need more money for health care now and decisive action to uphold the Canada Health Act.”
Fed up with the dangerous game played by federal and provincial officials, CUPE continues to mobilize across the country, demanding a concerted national effort to strengthen Medicare by increasing funding, reversing privatization, creating a home care and pharmacare program, improving primary care and exempting health from trade deals.