BULLETIN Fix health care, don't privatize it, activists demand September 14, 2004 NUPGE among groups defending public medicare at historic summit Ottawa - Defenders of public medicare, including the National Union of Public and General Employees, and HSA President Cindy Stewart rallied Monday as Prime Minister Paul Martin and the first ministers began a three-day historic summit on the future of health care in Canada. Their message to the country's top leaders can be summed up in one short slogan: "Fix! Don't privatize health care." The three-day meeting is the first open, televised meeting by Canada's heads of government since the 1980s. "Too often the political elites of this country make decisions on critical programs without really listening to the voices of ordinary citizens," says James Clancy, president of the 337,000-member union. "The people who elected them get shut out of the debate. We hope that is not going to happen this time." A large group of demonstrators is planning to gather today outside the Government Conference Centre to show their support for public health care. They will carry banners emblazoned with their rallying cry. Among those present for the occasion was Shirley Douglas, daughter of the late Tommy Douglas, who founded public medicare more than 40 years ago when he was premier of Saskatchewan. "Two-tier is for buses, not health care," Douglas tells audiences wherever she appears in defence of medicare. In Ottawa, she delivered her message from the top of a two-tier tour bus to drive home the point. She noted that Oct. 20, 2004, will be the 100th anniversary of her father's birth and urged activists to forge a new deal that will ensure that public health care remains available to future generations of Canadians. The public nature of the event has drawn activists to the national capital in far greater numbers than normal. Another sign of the times is the creation of a Public Health Care Response Centre, located across the street from the conference site - just east of Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa. The centre is intended to help public health care advocates communicate effectively with one other and to get their message out to national media covering the conference. Hundreds of demonstrators turned out for a noon hour rally outside the conference where the first ministers opened their discussions. It was biggest and by far most colorful demonstration of the day as hundreds of marchers paraded in bright bilingual red t-shirts, all bearing the same message: "Fix! Don't Privatize Health Care." The Health Sciences Association of BC is a component of NUPGE (CLC, PSI). - 30 - More information: Miriam Sobrino (604) 439-0994 Type: Media Release ● Print ● PDF 180 East Columbia Website Telephone 604-517-0994 New Westminster, BC V3L 0G7 www.hsabc.org 1-800-663-2017.