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 โ€“ 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 50 - People not Profits

HSAA will actively campaign and advocate to ensure proper funding of health care and that every health-care dollar is directed to patient care through public services.

HSAA will educate our members and Albertans on the benefits of public delivery of health care and the effect of for-profit care on our health-care system and health-care professionals.

Rationale:

Properly funded universal public health-care delivery improves the lives of both patients and health-care workers.

Public health care delivery allows for equal access to services and improved health outcomes for patients creating a more just and equitable society.

Health-care workers are provided with increased job security, improved safety, more opportunities for growth, and they benefit from public accountability of health-care policy.

No one should profit from someone being sick.

The need to generate profit increases the cost of health-care delivery, and our members will not benefit.  Instead of investing in our health-care workers, improving working conditions and paying them fairly, public money is directed to the profits of shareholders.

For-profit health care will exasperate the staffing shortages in health care by spreading resources even further.

We all deserve access to top-quality care regardless of how much money we have in our bank account. When profit is the bottom line, user-fees and queue-jumping fees create inequalities in our healthcare system.

Approved May 2023 Convention