Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations

HSA President Val Avery presented to the provincial legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services this week, and urged government to invest wisely in the people who deliver the health care and social services British Columbians rely on. “The provincial government’s promising and ambitious new health care directions will require health human resources planning for health science professionals...

The Young Workers’ Committee (YWC) is a standing committee of the BC Federation of Labour (BC Fed) dedicated to encouraging union participation among young people and to address inequity that young workers face as a result of discriminatory beliefs, policies, and legislation. The Young Workers’ Committee, through the creation of the Employee Action and Rights Network (EARN) fights on behalf...

Strengthening health services for Indigenous peoples An interview with Charlene Hellson, Aboriginal Wellness Program Coordinator, Vancouver Coastal Health The Report, September 2018 Charlene Hellson began her work with Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) Aboriginal Health Department in October, 2017. As coordina tor of the Aboriginal Wellness Program, she is integral to the work of her team. She coordinates and chairs team...

Proportional representation: a more democratic way to do politics The Report, September 2018 If a party gets 40 per cent of the votes, it should receive 40 per cent of the seats. This is the central feature of a proportional representation (PR) electoral system. While there are different models of PR that achieve this, all variations of PR seek to...

President’s Report Val Avery The Report, Sept 2018 Issue When this month's issue of The Report goes to print, it will be just over a month before referendum ballots are mailed out to British Columbians asking us if we would like to see our provincial elections determined through a first-past-the-post system, or through proportional representation (PR). The second ballot question...

From June 20 to Sept. 28, a federal advisory council hosted public consultations to inform recommendations on the establishment of a national Pharmacare plan. As momentum builds for a national program, HSA members face an historic opportunity to advocate for a plan rooted in principles of fairness, accessibility, and universality. As the advisory council prepares its recommendations, our members of...

The Political Action Committee would like to inform you of an exciting learning opportunity offered through the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). On July 15, the CLC is offering a free one-hour skills-building webinar to support participants in advancing the campaign for universal Pharmacare in Canada. The summer offers excellent opportunities to engage in community outreach, and with the launch of...

The federal Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare has opened up public consultations on a national Pharmacare plan, with the launch of an online portal . HSA's Political Action Committee would like to invite HSA members to join the conversation by registering for the online discussion and emailng advisory council members at: @email. Fill out the online survey...

­­­­ HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 How privately-funded health care hurts us On May 1, the B.C. Health Coalition (BCHC) presented two B.C. private surgical clinics with an invoice for $15.9 million. It was a symbolic gesture seeking to highlight how unlawful extra-billing by private clinics across the province is costing the public health care system. Supporters gathered with placards...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 President's Report, Val Avery HSA members have known for a quite some time what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the delivery of quality health care, and our work in promoting policy recommendations has been grounded in this expertise. We are pleased to see that many of our recommendations are now coming to...