FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 06, 1998
Klein misses the mark on Senate elections
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government should focus on promoting democracy at home before it starts making plans to send elected Senators to Ottawa, says Audrey Cormack, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. "If Ralph Klein really wants to promote democracy in Alberta, he could start by introducing elections for our regional health authorities," says Cormack. "As it stands right now, too many important decisions about the future of our health care system are being made by people with no accountability to the Alberta electorate." The AFL has been lobbying for health authority elections since May 1997, when delegates to the Federation's convention voted overwhelmingly to condemn the practice of appointing health boards. Cormack says elected health boards are needed because appointed boards have been unwilling to challenge government policies and spending priorities in the health care field. "What Albertans want and need are elected health representatives who are willing to stand up and say 'Enough is enough.' We need health boards that will say 'no' to privatization and make more demands on the government for adequate funding. That isn't happening right now." Cormack also criticized Klein's suggestion that the Alberta government could pay the salaries for elected senators, even if the federal government refuses to acknowledge their election. "If Tories go ahead with this scheme it will cost Alberta taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. And for what?," says Cormack. "It would be far better to spend the money on health care and education -- things that really matter to Albertans and have an impact on their daily lives."
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