BURNABY – CUPE BC joined sister unions, seniors’ groups, the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Health Coalition today in protests against Ottawa’s refusal to sign a new Health Accord. The protests are “sounding the alarm” to continue federal health care funding levels.
The current Federal-Provincial Health Accord expires today after 10 years. The Accord provides funding transfers from the federal government to the provinces for health care, but the Conservatives have refused to renew it. Instead, the Conservatives plan to cut $36 billion from the public health care system over the next 10 years.
In BC, protests are being held in Campbell River, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Princeton, Vancouver, Richmond and Surrey. Nationally, CUPE is launching a campaign to pressure the federal government to adequately fund health care and protect our healthcare system.
Visit our CUPE BC Gallery for photos from today’s protest.