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Nycole Turmel's letter to Romanow Roy Romanow Dear Mr. Romanow, Last May, our union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, held its fourth national Access Conference in which our members with disabilities discussed and passed resolutions on many important issues. One of these was the future of health care in Canada, especially as it pertains to persons with disabilities. We had sent you an invitation to attend this conference so that we could have an opportunity to dialogue on the issue of health care. We felt that the input you would have received from our members with disabilities would have been valuable for your public consultation work. Unfortunately, you were not able to attend due to previous commitments elsewhere. We feel strongly that the voices of our members with disabilities must be heard on this important issue. We therefore produced a video, delivered with this letter, as our submission to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. In it you will hear the testimonies of some of our delegates from the Access Conference on their experiences and thoughts on the health care system. As Mary Ennis of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, who spoke at our conference, pointed out, ableist biases and misconceptions have been stripping persons with disabilities of their right to appropriate health services for years. Ms. Ennis also urged our members to take action to protect public health care, even as we advocate for equal treatment. I would also like to stress that the PSAC endorses the positions of the Canadian Health Care Coalition (CHC) and Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) as outlined in their respective submissions to your commission, particularly in their call for not only maintaining, but expanding the coverage of Medicare, and increasing public funding to the system. You will find that many of our members who testified in our video reiterate the same messages as Ms. Ennis, the CHC and the CLC have articulated, but they have also many additions that we are certain will enrich the discourse around health care. They deliver their messages sincerely but forcefully. I would like to thank you in advance and wish you and your commission luck in the upcoming difficult endeavour of synthesizing all the submissions you have received. Sincerely, Nycole Turmel |