Friends of Medicare joins in arms with other health coalitions to remind of public healthcare importance

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on July 18, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

Ahead of the gathering of First Ministers and the Council of the Federation, Friends of Medicare has joined with other health coalitions to call for the government to remember the importance of public health care.

They remind government leadership that public health care is a core foundation of any just economy, in a release sent out on Thursday.

“We remind our political leaders that the economy exists to serve people, not the other way around, and the economy is more than militarism and private sector projects. If a person falls ill or is injured and cannot access health care or mental health care, there is no economy for them,” said the Coalitions.

“If a person has diabetes and cannot afford their insulin and supplies, what economy is there for them?”

They added that they consider the country’s public health care to be a nation-building success story, and rightfully a point of national pride, as they urge political leaders to champion these values while Canada “reforges [its] national identity in the new international context.”

However, the coalitions also note that the system is currently in crisis.

“Runaway privatization is taking funding and staff away from public health care services. Staffing shortages are a national catastrophe, forcing emergency departments to close and leaving health care workers with impossible workloads while patients wait longer and suffer more,” said the Coalitions. “All this is happening as billions are poured into militarization and border enforcement.”

They call for funding for what they refer to as, “things that have created equity and a more just society in our nation-building over the last century,” such as public health, environmental and labour protections and the first steps toward reconciliation with First Nations and Indigenous Peoples, as well as safeguards to protect Canada Health Act.

“Now is the time to stand up for public health care and the values it represents: equity, compassion, dignity and care for all,” said the coalitions. “Canadians overwhelmingly support our public system. It cannot wait. It’s time for governments to listen, and act.”

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