Table of contents
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Position Statements: 1 - 10
- Position Statement 1 - Mandatory AIDS/HIV Testing
- Position Statement 2 - Reaffirming HSAA's Commitment to Medicare
- Position Statement 3 - Child Care and Early Childhood Education
- Position Statement 4 - Attendance Management
- Position Statement 5 - Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace
- Position Statement 6 - Students
- Position Statement 7 - Volunteers
- Position Statement 8 - Flat Tax
- Position Statement 9 - Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAP)
- Position Statement 10 - Local Unit Participation in Joint Union Activities
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Position Statements: 11 - 20
- Position Statement 11 - Human Rights, Equality and Non-Discrimination
- Position Statement 12 - Parental Leave
- Position Statement 13 - Poverty
- Position Statement 14 - Source Testing
- Position Statement 15 - Indoor Air Quality
- Position Statement 16 - Commitment to Public Health Care and Member Equity
- Position Statement 17 - Canadian Ratification of International Labour Organization Conventions
- Position Statement 18 - Progressive Labour Law Reform
- Position Statement 19 - Purchase of Union-Made and Fair-Trade Products
- Position Statement 20 - Energy Deregulation and Utility Privatization
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Position Statements: 21 - 30
- Position Statement 21 - Political Leave
- Position Statement 22 - Pension Plan
- Position Statement 23 - Child Labour in Alberta
- Position Statement 24 - First Contract Arbitration
- Position Statement 25 - Noise
- Position Statement 26 - Pharmacare
- Position Statement 27 - Climate Change
- Position Statement 28 - Sustainable Environmental Ethical Purchasing Policies
- Position Statement 29 - Domestic Violence and the Workplace
- Position Statement 30 - Net Neutrality
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Position Statements: 31 - 40
- Position Statement 31 - Electoral Reform in Alberta
- Position Statement 32 - Defined-Benefit Pension Plans
- Position Statement 33 - Living Wage Policy
- Position Statement 34 - Organizing
- Position Statement 35 - Supporting Public Education
- Position Statement 36 - Income Equality
- Position Statement 37 - Temporary Foreign Workers
- Position Statement 38 - Omnibus Budget Bill
- Position Statement 39 - Flu Vaccines
- Position Statement 40 - Workplace Health, Safety & Wellness
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Position Statements: 41 - 50
- Position Statement 41 - Trade Agreements
- Position Statement 42 - The Ten Principles of Unionism
- Position Statement 43 - Ending Violence in the Workplace
- Position Statement 44 - HSAA Representation on Employer Committees
- Position Statement 45 - Paid Sick Days for All Working Albertans
- Position Statement 46 - Total Worker Health
- Position Statement 47 - Time for a Real Reconciliation with First Nations
- Position Statement 48 - Invest in Young Workers
- Position Statement 49 - Invest in Public Services
- Position Statement 50 - People not Profits
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Position Statements: 51 - 57
- Position Statement 51 - Expansion of Medicare Umbrella - Dental Care
- Position Statement 52 - Expansion of Medicare Umbrella - Pharmacare
- Position Statement 53 - Opposition to Right-to-Work Laws
- Position Statement 54 - Prevention and Support of Workers Experiencing Mental Injury
- Position Statement 55 - Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence at Work
- Position Statement 56 - Opposition to Paying for Blood Products
- Position Statement 57 - Systemic Racism
Position Statement 13 - Poverty
It is the position of HSAA that all levels of government must take responsibility for public policy to eliminate poverty and to provide the necessary support and social programs for those in need, while at the same time creating an environment of economic growth and individual initiative.
It is the position of HSAA that to eliminate poverty, all Canadians must have access to, quality public healthcare, a living wage and a meaningful range of human and social services, free from all forms of discrimination.
HSAA believes that freedom from poverty is a human right; we believe in equality among all people; we believe we are all entitled to social and economic security; we believe in dignity for all.
HSAA will:
Join in solidarity with the organizations calling upon the provincial, federal and municipal governments to work together with community organizations and others to develop a comprehensive plan with measurable poverty reduction targets and timelines to eliminate poverty in Alberta.
Rationale:
Poverty is not the result of failure of the individual, but rather the failure of public policy in ensuring the economic and social well-being of Canada’s citizens; and
Poverty is not merely relegated to those unable to work, but also to the growing segment of society known as the “working poor.”
The gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen dramatically resulting in more people living in poverty than ever before.
The existence of poverty in a province and nation as wealthy as Alberta and Canada is an unnecessary tragedy.
Poverty in the midst of plenty is a failure of social policy not an inevitable or natural outcome, and consequently can be addressed by government and partner organizations; and
The reduction of poverty, on the way to its elimination, results in greater social cohesiveness and consequently better health outcomes for everyone in society, which in turn will make for less overall cost to the health care system; and
Reduction of poverty will result in positive economic benefit to Alberta, such as reduced crime, increased productivity in the workplace, and higher income and corporate taxation revenue.
Approved at 2002 AGM
Amended May 2018 Convention