Premier needs to make services for Albertans a priority: AUPE President
EDMONTON – Albertans need the government to assure them that the services they count on will be there when they need them, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees President Guy Smith said after today’s Speech from the Throne.
“People expect more than promises from the government, they need to see the services they count on properly supported in the budget,” said Smith.
Smith noted that the government promised to ensure that “seniors, persons with disabilities, and others who are vulnerable are well cared for” in the last Speech from the Throne. However, in the past year, it has reduced long-term care spaces, attempted to close hospital beds, and sought to cut funding to programs for people with disabilities.
“Based on recent events, Albertans have valid reasons to be skeptical of the commitments made in the Throne Speech,” Smith said.
“Albertans need to know that when they need a hospital bed, it will be there for them, that they won’t have to worry about their schools and post-secondary institutions falling apart, and if they are old and living on a fixed income, that they will still be able to get the care they need,” Smith said.
Those services and others, whether they are in the financial sector, agriculture, public security, parks or environmental protective services, all make our province a better place to live and keep thousands of people working, Smith said.
“Make no mistake, Albertans count on the services our members provide every day, and it is those services that will give our province the strength to get on the road to economic recovery,” he concluded.
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For more information contact:
Guy Smith, President, AUPE – 780-930-3301 or 780-265-2294 (cellular)
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE – 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (cellular phone)
AUPE Offices can be reached by calling toll free – 1-800-232-7284.