Friends of Medicare targets federal health
minister with new campaign

Gil McGowan, AFL Staff

EDMONTON – In an effort to preserve public health care and slow Alberta’s march towards commercialized medicine, the citizens group Friends of Medicare has launched an intensive lobbying campaign in the Edmonton riding of federal Health Minister Anne McLellan.

The goal of the campaign is to convince McLellan of the dangers posed by Alberta-style privatization – and the importance of implementing recommendations from the recent Royal Commission on Health Care (more commonly known as the Romanow Report).

"The Alberta government is pressuring McLellan to reject the Romanow report – or at least water it down – so they can keep pushing private for-profit health care," says Friends spokesperson Christine Burdett.

"With our campaign, we want to make it clear just how strongly Albertans feel about preserving public health care. And we want the minister to understand that, on the issue of health care, the Klein government does not speak for all Albertans."

As part of the campaign, volunteers have been canvassing the residents of Edmonton-West and a leaflet has been direct-mailed to all homes in the riding.

In addition, ten billboards have been posted – along with hundreds of Romanow Now! lawn signs that have been erected by individuals. To top things off, a television ad calling on people to join the campaign was broadcast in the Edmonton market for two weeks.

"From our perspective, Mr. Romanow’s blueprint for change represents the best opportunity we may ever get to reform Medicare and revitalize it for the 21st century," says Burdett. "But it’s an opportunity that we fear many of our leaders – at both the provincial and federal levels – are well on their way towards squandering."

"That’s why we decided to launch this campaign – and why we’ve decided to do it right here in the home riding of the federal health minister. We want to convince Anne McLellan that implementing the Romanow report is the right thing to do even if it means stepping on the toes of conservative Premiers like Ralph Klein and Gordon Campbell."

The Romanow Now! campaign has been endorsed by most unions and labour organizations in the province including: the Alberta Federation of Labour, United Nurses of Alberta, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, United Food and Commercial Workers and the Communications, Energy Paperworkers union.

AFL president Les Steel is urging union members to demonstrate their support for public health care by getting involved in the campaign.

"Anne McLellan has been waffling on her support for public solutions in health care," he says. "The more people we can get involved in this campaign, the easier it will be to give her a push in the right direction.