Thanks to all of you that agreed to participate in the national health care lobby week! We have over 20 meetings with MPs scheduled and more being planned now! We also have several communities that have written letters to their MPs, opinion editorials to the newspaper, letters to the newspaper, or are meeting with MLAs/MPPs and provincial health ministers.
Meeting with our MPs in their constituency offices gives us an opportunity to drive home the point that medicare matters. We have well-rounded lobby teams of patients, health professionals, and individuals who care about universal health care and have incredible knowledge, experience and passion!
I have had the privilege of working closely on this lobby with Canadian Doctors for Medicare, the Canadian Union of Public and General Employees, the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres, and provincial health coalitions. Thanks to all of the organizations who have helped make this lobby week possible. By working together we not only create dynamic lobby groups, we strengthen and grow the fight to save medicare and defeat the privatization agenda.
From left to right: Don Chard (seated), Dr. Dan Boudreau, Adrienne Silnicki, Robert Chisholm M.P.
Last week we held our first MP lobby (the MP is traveling this week) with Robert Chisholm of Dartmouth-Cole Harbour. I was able to join Dr. Dan Boudreau (Canadian Doctors for Medicare, North End Community Health Centre, ER doctor) and Don Chard (Constituent, member of the Council of Canadians). We talked to Mr. Chisholm about what health care looks like on the ground for his constituents, about the need for comprehensive universal health care in every community and at every stage of life. He agreed with us and has promised to talk to his colleagues about the need for a comprehensive 2014 Health Accord that will protect, strengthen and expand public health care.
If you’re interested in joining our national lobby, get in touch with me: asilnicki(at)canadians.org and I’ll help you put together a lobby team and approach your MP. You could also: write a letter to your MP, write an op-ed to your community newspaper, sign our action alert: http://canadians.org/action/2013/harper-premiers.html
Once again a big thank you to all those participating in the lobby week! I’ll be blogging throughout the week on our actions, please check back often.
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