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Serving Democracy

September 30, 2015   ·   0 Comments

Are you looking to make some pocket money and a difference in your community? Elections Canada needs your help to deliver the federal election.

You can earn between $170.00 and $236.00 per day.

Elections Canada is looking for some civic-minded individuals to serve as poll workers on election day. As a poll worker, you will welcome electors, ensure they have the proper identification and help to manage the voting process in your community.

Though it is a long day, the nature of the work makes it an ideal job for students 16 years of age or older, seniors and part-time workers.

“Elections Canada depends on the help of Canadians to administer a successful election,” said Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Marc Mayrand. “Working at your local polling place is a great way to serve democracy in your community.”

For more information, contact your local Elections Canada Orangeville office at 519-942-4539 or our Bolton office at 1-866-450-9938.

Stronger federal role in health care needed

It is unfortunate that our Canadian Government has abandoned its leadership role when it comes to Canada’s Public Medicare System.

Said Federal NDP Health Critic, Libby Davies: “The federal government must work with the provinces to create health care reforms that ensure that Canadians continue to receive quality health care, and that this standard of care is guaranteed across the country. Canadians deserve equal access to affordable medications, team-based primary care clinics with doctors, nurses and allied health professionals; care across their lifespan; and preventative health education and resources.”

Our Prime Minister and the Federal Health Minister should call for a First Ministers Meetings with all the Provincial and Territorial Premiers and Health Ministers in negotiating a new National Health Accord and expand and strengthen the Canada Health Act by implementing National Standards, especially for Home Care, Pharmacare, and Medical or Assistive Devices(including Ostomy and Diabetic supplies). Unfortunately, not once has Prime Minister Harper ever called for a National First Ministers Health Conference during his whole term in office (2006 – 2015)!

In his March 28, 2014 email message, Federal NDP Opposition Leader, Thomas Mulcair states:

“New Democrats are urging the Harper government to work out a deal to ensure that every Canadian has access to physician and hospital care when they need it—regardless of the where they live, their economic or social status. This was the vision of Tommy Douglas who believed that “health services ought not to have a price-tag on them, and that people should be able to get whatever health services they required irrespective of their individual capacity to pay.”

We know that there is an important leadership role for the federal government in health care delivery—the federal government should be providing a stable funding formula for the Canada Health Transfer, ensuring that all provinces and territories can provide a high standard of care and honour the Canada Health Act.

But, instead of providing leadership and properly funding our health care system, the Conservatives are slowly strangling it. They’re changing the way they divide federal health transfers, leaving some provinces worse off. They unilaterally imposed 36 billion dollars in cuts to health care funding and continue to refuse to negotiate with the provinces and territories on the health accords.

The result of all these Conservative cuts and inaction? Canadians will face a diminished health care system: even longer wait times, unequal standards of care across provinces and territories, reduced front-line services, continued inflation in drug costs and reduced access to home care and long-term care.”

As for Newfoundland & Labrador, we need to stress the importance of our provincial political leaders, especially the Premier and the Minister of Health & Community Services to join their Provincial and Territorial Counterparts from Canada’s 9 other provinces and 3 territories to call on the Prime Minister, the Federal Health Minister and the current/next Federal Government to come to the negotiating table and work out a new National Health Accord; to reintroduce the National Pharmaceutical Strategy and a National Pharmacare Program! And, the Federal Government needs to reverse it’s unilateral decision to cut $36 Billion from the Federal Health Transfers to the Provinces and Territories. Such a Hugh cut will restrict or prevent provinces, like Newfoundland & Labrador, to implement improvements in our overall healthcare system, including NLPDP; to build new Healthcare Infrastructure, like the Waterford Replacement Hospital Project and lower “wait-times” to see specialists, such as Psychiatrists, Publicly funded Psychologists, Neuropsychiatrists and other Health Providers.

Edward Sawdon

via email

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