This petition is entitled “Stop Ford’s Health Care Privatization Plan.
“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
“Whereas Ontarians should get health care based on need—not the size of their wallet;
“Whereas Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones say they’re planning to privatize parts of health care;
“Whereas privatization will bleed nurses, doctors and PSWs out of their public hospitals, making the health care crisis worse;
“Whereas privatization always ends with patients getting a bill;
“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately stop all plans to further privatize Ontario’s health care system, and fix the crisis in health care by:
“—repealing Bill 124 and recruiting, retaining and respecting doctors, nurses and PSWs with better pay and better working conditions;
“—licensing tens of thousands of internationally educated nurses and other health care professionals already in Ontario, who wait years and pay thousands to have their credentials certified;
“—making education and training free or low-cost for nurses, doctors and other health care professionals;
“—incentivizing doctors and nurses to choose to live and work in northern Ontario;
“—funding hospitals to have enough nurses on every shift, on every ward.”
I couldn’t agree with the petition more. I’ve affixed my signature to it and will hand it to Mary for the table.