HSAA President reacts to release of report on the state of the Alberta economy
Today is an extremely disappointing day.
The Kenney government has released a partisan report on the Alberta economy that only takes into consideration 50 per cent of an equation to solve 100 per cent of the problem.
“We are not surprised at all by what we are seeing today. This blue-ribbon panel was set up to come to a pre-determined conclusion. We know this because the authors of the report were not allowed to even consider revenues coming to the province. Instead, it is recommending the ‘profit before people’ plan of privatization, cuts to public service wages and cuts to the number of people working in the public service. That means fewer dedicated, hard-working, professional health-care workers in our hospitals and clinics.” says Health Sciences Association of Alberta President, Mike Parker.
In putting together the report the province spent a lot of time comparing what we spend with other provinces saying we have a spending problem. What was off-limits is the fact that if Alberta was to have the same tax regimes as other provinces we would be out of a deficit, right now. It seems disingenuous to say we have examined the problem when you admit you didn’t consider half of the issue.
“It’s crystal clear. This government is telling Albertans its more important to add to the profits of already profitable corporations than it is to make sure health-care workers are getting the support and equipment they need to take care of vulnerable Albertans” says Health Sciences Association of Alberta President, Mike Parker.
The Health Sciences Association of Alberta represents 28,000 health-care professionals across the province. These dedicated individuals continue to provide excellent services despite systemic problems caused by the lack of investment in space and equipment within the public system.
“Health-care delivery in Alberta hasn’t recovered from the cuts in the 1990s, to find out we’re headed back to a philosophy of doing more with less is, quite frankly, devastating to health-care workers and the health-care system in Alberta” says Parker.
HSAA is urging the government to reject the recommendations in the MacKinnon report and sit down with the people who work within the health system every day to find solutions for improving care from a patient first point of view.
