June 7, 2019 (FREDERICTON) – Canada’s nurses have launched a national public engagement campaign and website to ensure the ongoing underfunding of public health care is a top-of-mind issue during Canada’s federal election this fall.
The campaign and its online tools are designed to make it easy for nurses and members of the public to advocate to candidates and MPs of all parties about the urgent need for Canadian governments to invest in the country’s health care system, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas said today.
“The campaign will ask politicians to Choose Care, Not Cuts, and to stop chipping away at public health care in Canada,” Linda Silas said at a rally in support of the launch on the grounds of the New Brunswick Legislature in Fredericton.
“It’s time to stop pretending that our health care system isn’t under attack,” Silas said. By choosing care over cuts, she explained, Canada’s public health care system can work better for everyone.
“No one knows better than nurses that funding cuts, privatization of services and chronic understaffing make it impossible for Canadians to get the care they deserve,” she continued. “It’s time we stop pretending our system isn’t in desperate need of an upgrade.”
The federal election campaign website, StopPretending.ca, has now been rolled out. It includes a tool enabling users to email their Member of Parliament with a message asking them to commit to investing in upgrading health care for Canadians, information in both official languages, and the ability to share the key campaign message on social media.
“We have to make a commitment to stop dragging health care down with underfunding that leads to longer wait times, hallway medicine, not enough long-term care, expensive prescriptions and understaffed units,” Silas concluded.
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Journalists who wish to arrange an interview with CFNU President Linda Silas should contact:
Lauren Snowball, CFNU Communications Officer, 613-868-5702, lsnowball@nursesunions.ca
