Singh vows funding to train, hire more nurses
EDMONTON • NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took shots at Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s “attacks” on healthcare workers Thursday and promised to create a $250 million Critical Shortages Fund to address the shortage of nurses and health care workers across Canada if he becomes prime minister.
Singh, the first federal leader to visit Alberta this election campaign, was in the Conservative-held riding of Edmonton Griesbach. His party is promising to ensure that provinces also commit funding specifically for health-care workers and says the federal fund would help train and hire 2,000 nurses.
“Alberta families are getting it from all sides — Jason Kenney attacks nurses and health-care workers and the Justin Trudeau government is carrying on with Conservative health care funding cuts,” Singh said in a statement.
NEW DEMOCRATS WILL RESTORE FUNDING FOR HEALTH CARE.
“Conservatives always cut health care, and while Justin Trudeau promised he would reverse the cut he has not. He has kept delivering less. New Democrats will restore funding for health care and make sure it’s used to improve health care services by hiring nurses.”
Kenney and the UCP government have been fighting with health-care workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, both struggling to sign a new contract with doctors and in contentious negotiations with the nurses union which has included a proposal that nurses take pay cuts.
The Alberta government has also faced significant criticism over hospital bed closures across the province due to staffing shortages.
When asked whether his plan this election was to try to capitalize on Kenney’s lack of popularity to get votes for federal NDP candidates, Singh said Conservatives can’t be trusted with health care.
“Absolutely, we’re going to point to Jason Kenney and his bad decisions that hurt people. We’re going to point to Conservatives that can’t be trusted with health care and we’re going to point to Justin Trudeau, who continues to do the exact same thing, leaving health-care workers, and most importantly people, behind,” he said.
In the 2019, the NDP won one of Alberta’s 34 federal ridings, Edmonton Strathcona.