Representing Workers of Oxford County, Ontario, Canada
FIGHT FOR THE LIVING, MOURN FOR THE DEAD
Please join us on Saturday, April 28 at 4 PM at Museum Square, 466 Dundas St, Woodstock, ON N4S 1C4 as we gather to commemorate all workers killed or injured on the job at the annual Day of Mourning.
On this day, we remember and pay tribute to workers who die each year due to workplace causes. While we mourn the dead, we all must dedicate ourselves to the continued fight for the living.
Unifor Executive (including Pres, Secretary and Treasurer) stepped aside to allow the CUPE First Vice-President to take control of the meeting while all Unifor delegates left the room.
After an hour of debate, with the CLC rep present to ensure procedural adherence, the remaining affiliates of Oxford Regional Labour Council (OSSTF, OPSEU, USW, CUPE) passed a motion to “continue to recognize all Unifor Locals who are up to date and continue to pay per capita fees, as members and executives with full voice and vote until the Canadian Council of the CLC provides further direction.”
Solidarity is alive and well on the ORLC!
A rousing chorus of Solidarity Forever could be heard in the halls and I’m sure outside too 😉
Why Pharmacare?
Canada’s unions are proud that we’ve won health insurance coverage for many of our members. But we believe anyone with a health card should have coverage for the medicines they need. That’s why we’re working to win a universal prescription drug plan that covers everyone in Canada, regardless of their income, age or where they work or live.
The Unfinished Business of Medicare
Today, the only place where all Canadians are covered is in the hospital. The federal government covers the cost of prescription drugs for members of the Armed Forces and the RCMP, veterans and Indigenous people.
The provinces and territories all provide different coverage. Most subsidize the cost of medications for vulnerable Canadians like those over 65 and recipients of social assistance and disability benefits. Many also provide catastrophic coverage for those with astronomical medical costs.
But that still leaves one in five Canadians paying out of pocket for their medication because they either don’t have a prescription drug plan or have plans that don’t cover the cost.
By the Numbers
Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care program that doesn’t include a universal prescription drug plan. Instead, our multiple-payer system has resulted in the second highest prescription drug costs in the world next to the United States.
Our patchwork prescription drug system is inefficient and expensive. It has left Canadians with wildly varying prescription drug coverage and access. Many are paying different rates for the same medications.
We aren’t benefitting from the current system, but pharmaceutical and private insurance companies are. Pharmaceutical companies can charge higher prices for drugs because they sell to so many buyers. Private insurance companies benefit by charging employers, unions and employees to administer private drug insurance plans.
It’s time for Canada to catch up to our peers. It’s time to complete the unfinished business of our Medicare system with a universal prescription drug plan that will save money through bulk purchasing power.
In New Zealand, where a public authority negotiates on behalf of the entire country, a year’s supply of the cholesterol-busting drug Lipitor costs just $15 a year, compared to $811 in Canada.
That’s why Canada needs to combine the purchasing power of all Canadians under one plan. An annual investment of $1 billion by the federal government will mean Canadians save $7.3 billion a year on the medications they need.
Canadians Say “YES” to Pharmacare
An overwhelming majority – 91 percent – of Canadians believe our public health care system should include a universal prescription drug plan.
Several national health care commissions have recommended the same, along with the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Canadian Doctors for Medicare, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canadian Health Coalition, Council of Canadians and the Canadian Labour Congress.
Provincial leaders are signaling support too. The Ontario provincial government, for example, has announced a targeted Pharmacare program that will cover full prescription drug costs for anyone under the age of 25.
But patchwork measures aren’t enough. We need this federal government to commit to the implementation of a national, publicly-administered universal prescription drug plan for every Canadian, in every province and territory.
