Frontline public sector workers are urging Canada's first ministers to propose a stimulus package that supports families by investing in public services.
Ottawa, Jan. 15 – As Canada’s first ministers meet in Ottawa to discuss the growing economic crisis, frontline workers in health care, community-based social services and the justice system are urging the leaders to propose a federal stimulus package that invests in public services to protect vulnerable families from the worst of the recession and to help stabilize the economy.
“Canadians are united behind the idea that the next federal budget must include a stimulus package that provides more funding to the public services that people depend on, even if that means running a substantial deficit this year,” says Shelley Ward, a Licensed Practical Nurse from Prince Edward Island and the President of the P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees (PEIUPSE/NUPGE).
"Canadians understand that any cuts in public services will cause needless hardship for countless Canadians and only serve to accentuate the longer term damage to our economy,” Ward says.
The Harper government almost collapsed in December because its economic statement failed to provide real support for families and a stimulus package for the economy. The prime minister is meeting with Canada's premiers and territorial leaders in Ottawa Friday to discuss a response to the crisis. The government will table a new budget on Jan. 27.
"With so many Canadians worried about losing their jobs, paying their bills and putting food on the table, the last thing they should have to worry about is whether they’re going to get the health care they need,” says Patty Rout, a Medical Laboratory Technologist and the First Vice-President and Treasurer of the 130,000-member Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE).
"Canada’s public health care system is also an important economic driver. It is the third-largest sector of the economy, employing more than one in 10 Canadian workers. Investing part of a stimulus package in health care would help ease the anxiety families are feeling and at the same time provide a boost to the economy,” Rout says.
A new Nanos Research poll, commissioned by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), suggests Canadians want to see a stimulus package that invests in public services first and foremost.
When asked how important it is for the government to increase investment in public services like health care, education, social services and the justice system during an economic downturn, 70% of respondents ranked it important (25.3%) or very important (44.5%) compared with 9% who felt it was not important. In addition, a majority of Canadians also said that cutting government services would make the economic downturn worse. Full poll results and tabulations can be seen at www.nupge.ca or www.nanosresearch.com
NUPGE president
"The research indicates that it’s not all about tax cuts and bailouts in the minds of Canadians,” says James Clancy, National president of NUPGE. "For the vast majority of Canadians it’s about protecting our social safety net during tough times.”
"Canadians don’t want their governments to repeat the mistakes of the recession of the 90s when they made things worse for families by making drastic cuts to social services and other vital programs,” adds Mike Clarke, a community-based social services worker in British Columbia and a Vice-President of the 65,000-member BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU/NUPGE).
“A decade of underfunding by governments has severely eroded the ability of community social service agencies to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of people who depend on their services. As the economic crisis deepens, the demand for these services is going to surge. Now is exactly the right time for our governments to invest in the social services that protect the most vulnerable in our communities,” Clarke says.
Jim Gosse, a Correctional Officer from Nova Scotia and a representative of the 23,000-member Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU), says the justice system is facing serious problems that include long waiting times for trials, overcrowding in correctional facilities and too many patients suffering mental illness being warehoused in jails.
“At the same time the federal government is planning to pass more tough-on-crime legislation that will inevitably result in more people in our courts and jails. That approach will seriously exacerbate the existing problems unless the federal government steps up to the plate and provides more funding for the justice system,” Gosse says.
“We understand that there are a number of proposals to support families and stimulate the economy, but investing in public services is a proven approach that works and works well,” adds Rout.
“Our governments must increase funding for the public services that protect and support families in tough times. And given the size of the public sector it can also play an important stabilizing role in our economy. I think the message from Canadians right across the country is that they value public services and the public sector and want to see those services and jobs protected and strengthened as we look ahead.”
More information:
Mike Luff, (cell) 613-852-5002, (office) 613-228-9800, NUPGE Coordinator of Communications and Research
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