The fight against healthcare privatization returns in Windsor.
The Windsor-Essex Health Coalition will be hosting a protest on Saturday outside Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie’s office to continue the fight.
The demonstration comes as healthcare privatization continues to be a talking point across the country following a large rally at Queen’s Park in May and another protest in Charlottetown this week.
The premiers met in Charlottetown for their annual summer meeting to discuss healthcare, affordability, Canada-U.S. trade and other national priorities.
The Ontario Health Coalition argues that the Ford government is expanding private clinics at an unprecedented rate and warns shifting more publicly funded surgeries such as cataract operations into private facilities could weaken Ontario’s hospital system, which is already dealing with staffing shortages, long wait times and financial pressures.
Patrick Hannon, co-chair of the Windsor-Essex Health Coalition, says the local protests are about protecting a public system that Canadians pay for.
“This has been an ongoing and escalating issue where this government continues to privatize your healthcare, selling out assets that we have accumulated over generations in the healthcare system and offering privatized healthcare that comes at a greater price for what we pay out of our public coffers.”
He says they are seeing more public interest since launching the monthly protests.
“We’ve had all positive feedback, people are starting to understand what we’re doing. We’re also reaching out through different communities in support of these protest in the way that we’re extending the reasons why we’re there and the goals that we’re trying to attain.”
Hannon says the protest this weekend is open to the public and is intended to raise awareness.
“Certainly everyone is welcome, it is a family-friendly gathering, we will have a couple of people speaking to just generally make the public aware of what’s going on with the public healthcare system.”
The protest will take place starting at 1 p.m. in front of Dowie’s office at 5452 Tecumseh Road East.