Protect Ontario’s Public Healthcare

UFCW Locals 175 & 633 Debora De Angelis and Kasiobi Nwankudu joined hundreds of activists on January 24 and 25 at the Ontario Health Coalition Assembly to oppose the privatization of health care and help build a coordinated campaign to protect public services.

The Ford government continues to push health care toward private, for-profit corporations; privatizing hospitals, long-term care, blood services, primary care, and public health.

And while hundreds of millions in public dollars are redirected to private companies, local public services face closures, amalgamations, and chronic underfunding. The expansion of privatization means that public hospitals are left with closed operating rooms, idle diagnostic equipment, and staffing shortages.

This doesn’t just affect UFCW Local 175 HOPE members, it has a dire impact on the health and welfare of all Ontarians and their families. As privatization grows, illegal user fees increase, access becomes less fair, and trust in the healthcare system declines.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles and NDP Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) France Gélinas and Robin Lennox, all spoke about the impact of privatization on Ontarians, and the need to continue the fight against privatization of healthcare.

Solutions exist and must include improving the public healthcare system – not expanding the private sector in healthcare.

Liberal MPPs also participated in the discussion including MPPs Dr. Adil Shamji, Lee Fairclough, and Tyler Watt. Lastly, the Leader of the Green Party, Mike Schreiner, also joined in the discussion. Each speaker echoed the message that more public healthcare funding is needed to ensure the longevity, accessibility, and fairness of our public system.

What can you do?

Learn more at http://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca and contact your MPP to share how healthcare issues and the impact of privatization is affecting you and your family.

Have you read the latest issue of Checkout magazine? Find it here.