Sask’s Largest Union Calls First Step a “Brave” Move
[Mar 22, 2007 01:29 PM]
For Immediate Release:
March 22, 2007
REGINA: The Canadian Union of Public Employees - Saskatchewan is praising the newest Provincial Budget; calling the new funding for a seniors’ pharmaceutical care program the first, brave step towards a better province for everyone.
“This is the first step towards universal extended benefits,” said CUPE Saskatchewan President, Tom Graham. “That first step takes some bravery, and CUPE Saskatchewan commends the current government for taking that step.”
While Saskatchewan is the birthplace of medicare, other provinces have outpaced Saskatchewan in terms of offering extended benefits, like prescription drug assistance and eyeglass coverage. CUPE, with its Saskatchewan division, have been a proponent of such a program for years.
“We believe that every person has the right to medical attention,” said Graham. “But what good is that right if a doctor tells you that you need an inhaler to breathe, or a pill to fight infection, and you can’t afford those things? Providing those crucial medications to senior citizens is a start.”
While CUPE Saskatchewan acknowledges that senior citizens are among our communities’ most vulnerable, Graham and his colleagues believe that the right to access necessary medication, medical equipment and therapeutic services should be the right of all Saskatchewan people.
“This announcement is another building block in making this province the best place to live,” said Graham. “So let’s encourage our provincial legislators to finish the job. Let’s make this the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
In addition to the announcement on prescription assistance for seniors, CUPE Saskatchewan was eager to hear if the provincial government would allocate additional funding for women’s issues, and funding for programs that assist in aboriginal employment strategies.
“Right now, we’re a ‘have’ province and we need to use this economic strength to invest in our future,” said Graham. “The Conservative federal budget released earlier this week undermined our growth. Without the equalization amount that was promised to Saskatchewan, our provincial department of finance had a much tougher job.”
Left off CUPE Saskatchewan’s wish list, largely thanks to the Conservative budget, is funding for the pursuit of Pay Equity.
Working women are still paid 71-cents for each dollar earned by a man—a figure which CUPE Saskatchewan finds unacceptable.
“We need funding for Status of Women programs. We need funding for job evaluation strategies to ensure that women get paid what all people deserve. We need funding for programs that work to open our short-staffed workforce to the growing First Nations population. If we don’t work on those issues, we’re not going to progress as a province,” said Graham.
CUPE is the largest union in Saskatchewan and in Canada. CUPE Saskatchewan represents 27,000 public sector workers in the province who work at health care facilities, municipalities, school boards, universities, libraries and community-based organizations.
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For more information, contact:
Tom Graham 229-8171
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