The Liberal government needs to be honest about its privatization agenda and the cost to Canadians, says the NDP

THOMPSON — Today, NDP Critic for Public Ownership, MP Niki Ashton (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski), called on the Liberal government to halt its privatization agenda which would benefit their wealthy friends and hurt Canadians. This follows a disturbing trend of giving contracts to the ultra-wealthy for services Canadians rely on. Government shouldn’t be making it harder on Canadians in getting the health services they need.

In a letter to Minister Hajdu, Ashton spoke out against a potential plan by Health Canada to privatize certain health care delivery aspects for quarantine sites as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This would lead people depending on this service without a standard of care.

“Let me be clear, there is never a good time to privatize services Canadians rely on,” said Ashton. “Whether it’s the Canadian Infrastructure Bank, contracting out delivery of PPEs to Amazon, privatizing airport security services or contracting out nursing and other services in quarantine sites, the government needs to be honest with Canadians. Government needs to put the health of Canadians above the interests of their wealthy friends.”

“For-profit quarantine sites undermine the effectiveness of Canada’s pandemic response which hurts people instead of helping them,” said NDP Critic for Health, Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsay). “The Health Minister should be defending and expanding our public health care system so that more Canadians can access it, not carving up the Public Health Agency of Canada for privatization.”