November 4, 2015 (Ottawa) – Canada’s Nurses congratulate Prime Minister Trudeau and the new Federal Cabinet after their swearing in at Rideau Hall today. The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is looking forward to working with Canada’s new prime minister and newly appointed Health Minister Jane Philpott to enhance and protect our universal public health care system.
“On behalf of the nearly 200,000 nurses the CFNU represents across Canada, I welcome the new government’s commitment to forging a new Health Accord with the provinces and territories,” said Linda Silas, CFNU President. “While the Harper government is now history, the Conservative legacy of neglect towards our health care system remains and Canadians expect federal and provincial governments to work together on this critical issue.”
The CFNU welcomes the Liberal commitment to convening a First Ministers meeting on forging a new Health Accord with provinces and territories, including a new long-term agreement on funding.
“A new Health Accord will help establish the parameters of an evolving health system, and the renewal of our public health care system is something that frontline nurses want to see come out of the new accord negotiations,” said Silas.
During the election campaign, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions highlighted four key areas that needed to be addressed: a safe seniors’ strategy, a national prescription drug program, developing a health human resources plan, and committing to a strong publicly-funded health care system.
The CFNU looks forward to working with the new Liberal government and Health Minister Jane Philpott to take action on these four key areas to ensure that we are able to provide quality, safe care to all Canadians.
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The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization representing nearly 200,000 nurses and student nurses. The CFNU has been advocating for national discussions on key health priorities, such as a national prescription drug plan, a comprehensive approach to long-term and continuing care, greater attention to health human resources, and federal government engagement on the future of public health care.
For media inquiries please contact:
Emily Doer
Communications Officer
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
613-807-1340
edoer@nursesunions.ca