 Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan spoke to delegates at UNA's AGM on October 26, 2011.
Before Alberta trade unionists get talked into holding their noses and supporting the province's Progressive Conservative government and Premier Alison Redford, they should ask themselves some questions first, says Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan.
A good question to start with, McGowan told the morning session of UNA's AGM today, is "How is it in a province supposedly as conservative as Alberta that a woman purported to support Medicare and public services gets elected premier?"
Another might be: "How is it that politicians like Gary Mar and Ted Morton go down to defeat when they talk about privatization?"
The reason, McGowan stated, "is because Albertans – even conservative Albertans - have been around long enough to understand Medicare works, that public education works."
That didn't happen accidentally, McGowan argued, it happened because UNA and other organizations with the same position worked hard to show Albertans that public health care works. "You stopped Bill 11. You stopped Bill 37. You stopped the Third Way. That's why they can't touch Medicare. That's your victory!"
The lesson to draw from this, McGowan advised UNA's AGM delegates, is not to give up and support "progressive" Conservatives who are still very far to the right, but to use their union's undeniable clout to back candidates that share their goals and beliefs.
He urged UNA members to support progressive candidates who sincerely support public health care with both their donations and their votes.
Later in the morning, Friends of Medicare Executive Director David Eggen got plenty of laughs for a humourous routine with a serious edge about what was in a briefcase "left behind" by Health and Wellness Minister Fred Horne after his speech yesterday.
For example, said Eggen, a note supposedly sent to Mr. Horne read: "Alison here... Please make sure you don't screw up like the last two! ... Don't mention the judicial inquiry (that was just for the leadership campaign) and try not to talk about your past too much" - a reference to Mr. Horne's past support of privatization and his role drafting legislation that would have made private health services easier to offer.
Eggen also hauled out a teddy bear to illustrate the minister's public image … and a hacksaw to show "what comes after the election."
On a more serious note, Eggen went on: "As friends of Medicare, we have to judge people by their actions, and not by their words.
"They can't talk a good talk and get elected," Eggen concluded, "so more than ever it's important for people like us to have a strong, clear voice to fight for public health care."
The AGM also heard short presentations from Bill Moore-Kilgannon, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta and Ricardo Acuna of the Parkland Institute, also progressive institutions that work to preserve publicly funded and publicly delivered health services in Alberta.
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