BC Budget Chooses to Protect Health Care in Tough Times

Statement from Kane Tse, President of Health Sciences Association on BC Budget 2025:

As the union representing over 23,000 specialized health professionals in BC, we are very concerned about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on British Columbia’s economy, and our health care system.  
  
While the government is forced to fight an uninvited economic battle, we must not lose sight of the need to ensure the health care needs of British Columbians remain a top priority.  
  
Patients are already facing canceled surgeries and long waits for test results and treatment. And the people providing this care are burning out, struggling with unsustainable workload caused by unprecedented shortages across nearly all professions.  
  
We need to hire more lab technologists, perfusionists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, social workers, radiation therapists, physiotherapists, CT, X-Ray, MRI and PET technologists and other specialized professionals. They are critical members of the health care team, and without them the health care system just cannot deliver the services British Columbians need, especially in rural communities.  
  
The BC government has to make some very tough choices under these circumstances, and it is encouraging to see that they have chosen to protect health care with a modest increase of funding. In recent years, this government has taken initial steps to stabilize the health care work force in the wake of the pandemic by investing in training, recruitment and retention supports like pay increases. We look forward to working with them to target further investments in hiring more specialized health professionals so that we can reduce surgical cancelations and shorten wait times for care at this critical time.