Position Statements

The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) upholds a set of values based in social democracy, social justice and environmental justice. These values guide HSAA in taking positions on issues that arise on an ongoing basis. Our position statements align with our mission, vision, values and strategic plan.

HSAA is affiliated with the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and its subordinate bodies – the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and the various District Labour Councils across Alberta.

To learn more about the mission and strategic plan that guide HSAA, click here.

On this page you can review the web version of our position statements. A PDF file can also be downloaded.

Position Statement 35 - Supporting Public Education

HSAA will:

Oppose any cuts to public education because research by allied organizations like Public Interest Alberta’s Task Force on Post-Secondary Education and the Alberta Teachers’ Association has shown that cuts to education funding threaten the very foundation of our children’s futures.

Rationale:

When education funding is cut, class sizes increase, programs suffer, fewer new teachers are hired, infrastructure repairs are shelved and support staff and services are reduced.

When P3s (public-private partnerships) are used to build schools, experience across Canada has shown that P3 projects ultimately result in greater costs than if traditional design and build methods are used – resulting in a siphoning of public money from direct education spending.

Investing in Alberta’s schools, public universities, colleges and technical institutes is essential for creating the “green” knowledge-based economy of the future and for building productive, healthy and diverse communities.

By increasing – not decreasing – the support for our public educational institutions, government will not only help stimulate Alberta’s short-term economic recovery but will also be laying the foundation for Alberta’s long-term prosperous future.

Raising tuition for people entering paramedical technical and professional programs will result in unsupportable student debt for individual graduates and more severe healthcare labour shortages in the near future, due to young people turning away from expensive post-secondary experience.

Approved 2010 AGM
Amended May 2018 Convention