Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions said nurses are affected by the economic uncertainty in the country. “We should be asking ourselves: I’m a nurse, does this really affect me?” she said. Nurses’ number one issue is health care and patient care both of which certainly can be affected by the economy, she explained. Nurses must pay attention to economic policy, she explained. “It’s ok to run a deficit to save our communities,” she pointed out. “We have to save jobs.” She also noted that tax breaks to business should be tied to growth in Canadian jobs and producing local, Canadian products.
Canadian pensions, including nurses’ pensions, have taken a significant hit, Linda Silas also pointed out. “We need pension fund guarantees, we can’t risk our future livelihoods.”
Silas said nurses should closely watch Alberta’s health system changes and possible movement toward patient-focused funding models, setting up competition between hospitals.
“We have to understand these different funding models. We have to look at how it’s going to affect nurses working on the units and how it’s going to affect our communities."
UNA’s “amazing provisions” in our collective agreement [the pilot projects for Weekend Workers, Benefit Eligible Casual, etc.] are going to be evaluated by CFNU and nurses across Canada, Linda Silas told the meeting. She also highlighted another national CFNU project looking at a blueprint for nursing. “What the best workplace would look like... if you were in charge of your unit.”
In concluding her high-energy talk, Linda Silas signalled her optimism about going forward and making improvements in Canadian nursing. “Pessimists, get out of our way,” she said. |
