Opposition to Privatization of Health Care
Mass Rally at Ontario Legislature Demands Ending Privatization of Hospitals and Public Health Care
A rally organized by the Ontario Health Coalition on May 28 on the front lawn of Queen's Park, where the Ontario legislature was in session, drew well over 6,000 workers, youth and retirees from across the province. Health care workers were joined by steelworkers, teachers, students and others. Workers came with their flags and banners from Windsor, Woodstock, Hamilton, Kitchener, Waterloo, Kingston, Niagara, Toronto and other towns and cities to present a vigorous united front against the Ford government's attacks on the public health care system.
Since
his government came to power in 2018 Ford has been leading the charge
to complete the restructuring of the state to put all decision-making
directly into the hands of narrow supranational private
interests. As a result, all aspects of health care are privatized
including care for seniors, home care and more. Ford has now embarked
on a plan to create 61 private clinics and surgical centres. A total of $300 million has been allocated by the
province for these facilities, funds diverted from public hospitals.
The stated intent of the government is to redirect 1.2 million patients
away from the public hospital system.
Organizers called on everyone present to reach out to their co-workers and neighbours and friends to inundate the Premier, his cabinet and MPPs with emails demanding an end to the privatization agenda. They emphasized that the Ford government has underfunded hospitals, forcing them into deficits while providing public funds for private hospitals and clinics. They provided examples of patients being "upsold," manipulated into paying out of pocket for unnecessary tests and lenses for cataract surgeries not covered by the provincial health plan, to the tune of thousands of dollars. They demanded that the public funds being provided to private operators be invested in existing public hospitals to put an end to underutilization of existing facilities, solve the problem of understaffing and treat health care workers with respect for the essential work that they do by increasing wages and improving working conditions.
The rally followed a demonstration and march to Queen's Park from Union Station where workers had arrived on trains from around the province. They were met at Queen's Park by striking Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) workers from nearby Surrey Place, part of the 4,500 OPSEU community and social service workers on strike across the province. They are demanding needed funding for the services they provide and wage increases that they are owed as a result of the courts' overturning of Ford's legislation capping public sector wage increases. Leaders of the Ontario Health Coalition, OPSEU/SEFPO and the Ontario Nurses' Association called on all health care workers to lead the fight against privatization and for a public health care system that is founded on the principle that health care is a right, not a luxury or a business opportunity.
The spirit of the rally was one of defiance, determination to fight for a health care system based on meeting the needs of the people of Ontario, not the profits of narrow private interests that the Ford government serves, and that this fight has just begun and will continue until the anti-social agenda of the Ford government is defeated by the people themselves.
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 37 - May 30, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/T560371.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca