Protect, strengthen and expand health care; town hall meeting in Winnipeg

Winnipeg – Manitoba is facing a $1.4 billion cut to health care funding by the federal government over the next ten years. By refusing to sign a new health accord with the provinces, the federal government is abandoning its responsibility to protect quality public health care services for all Manitobans.

Tonight in Winnipeg, the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees are hosting a town hall meeting to discuss what these cuts will mean for Manitobans, and what can be done to support public solutions to make our health care stronger for all Canadians.

“With fair federal funding, we can create the health care system we need, with quality public health care for every Manitoban and every Canadian,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “But when the federal government let the 2004 Health Accord expire and refused to negotiate a new agreement with the provinces and territories, it walked away from its responsibility to protect our public health care system.”

Barlow will be joined by Paul Moist, national president of CUPE, at tonight’s town hall and will discuss the need for the federal government to be a full partner with Manitoba and the other provinces and territories on health care.

“Without a new agreement, it will mean $36 billion less for Medicare over the next 10 years. This is not acceptable,” says Moist. “Over 87 per cent of Canadians – in every region of the country and across party lines – support public solutions to make health care stronger. What we’re missing is real federal leadership to protect our public health care system.”

The town hall will feature in-depth discussions on how health care funding cuts will affect services for Manitobans, and explore effective ways to expand public health care to better serve the changing needs of Canadians – such a public home care, long-term care and a national pharmacare program.

The Council of Canadians and CUPE invite the public to participate in the town hall meeting. Media are also invited to attend.