Ontario Budget Bolsters Private, For-Profit Health Care at the Expense of Ontarians’ Wallets – and Health, Say Nurses

TORONTO, ON, March 23, 2023 – The Ford government’s provincial budget released today continues the march toward private, for-profit health care at the expense of Ontarians’ health and pocketbooks, says the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).

“ONA and our 68,000 front-line nurses and health-care professionals continue to witness the detrimental impacts of this government’s policy decisions on patients and those who care for them,” says ONA Interim Provincial President Bernie Robinson, RN.

“This budget is the latest attack on public health care from this Conservative government. From the unconstitutional wage cut law Bill 124, to the deregulation of health-care providers in Bill 60, and now this budget, it is clear that Mr. Ford is determined to destroy public health care in favour of enriching for-profit providers anxious to get their hands into the pockets of Ontario taxpayers. The budget lacks adequate funding for our public health-care system while handing money to private clinics and private home-care providers.”

In its pre-budget submission, ONA offered a series of recommendations to retain and recruit nurses and health-care workers; stop the use of costly private agency nurses, restore public health services by permanently reversing Ford’s funding cuts; increase the quality and safety of long-term care homes by phasing out for-profit, private long-term care homes and stopping the privatization of home and community care.

“We hope this government’s single-minded agenda to prioritize privatization over the accessibility, affordability, and quality of our health care is clear to all Ontarians,” says Robinson. “We are seeing the destruction of a service that all Canadians value and rely on – we hope there are alarm bells ringing for taxpayers, and that they are motivated to join nurses and health-care professionals in stopping this dangerous plan.”

ONA is the union representing 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as more than 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

- 30 -