Alberta’s largest labour union and a health-care advocacy group are calling on the provincial health minister to hold off on a plan to overhaul health-care legislation.
The province plans to introduce a new Alberta Health Act — an overarching piece of legislation — this fall. The government spent a reported $1.2 million embarking on public consultations (initially invite-only) in 23 Alberta communities over the summer.
An eight-member committee, led by Edmonton-Rutherford MLA Fred Horne, tabled a plan based on those consultations, laying out 15 recommendations including guiding principles and a health charter, as well as calling for future public consultation.
But Friends of Medicare and the Alberta Federation of Labour warn the plan would erode several existing health care laws and pry the door open for more privatization.
The two groups commissioned a legal opinion from Gwen Gray of Chivers Carpenter LLP, which found the current batch of laws and regulations already protect the public health care system.
“If you read this thing, it’s filled with truisms and sort of a weak shadow of the Canada Health Act, which works fine and dandy,” says Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “But only if you have the tough provincial laws to make it work.”
Email: thowell@ffwd.greatwest.ca
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