Thousands rally at Queen’s Park to defend public health care

Unifor joined thousands of health care and social service workers, patients, union allies, and advocates in a march from union station to Queen’s Park on May 28, where they held a massive protest to demand urgent action to protect and strengthen Ontario’s public health care system.

“The strength of our public health care system comes from the workers who deliver care and their commitment to patients, families, and communities,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Our members know that the public system is absolutely worth fighting for and are mobilizing to protect and strengthen it for generations to come.”

The rally, organized by the Ontario Health Coalition, brought together supporters from across the province to oppose privatization, address staffing shortages, and call for increased public investment to ensure Ontarians across the province have access to the care they need, when they need it.

“This past week Unifor lobbied here at Queen’s Park to demand better from this government,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. “Health care and social services workers are bearing the brunt of chronic underfunding and policy decisions that are making it harder to deliver the quality care Ontarians deserve. Workers are exhausted, patients are waiting longer, and communities are paying the price.”

Unifor hosted a Health Care and Social Services Lobby Week from May 25-28, where frontline workers from across Ontario met with elected officials at Queen’s Park to call on the provincial government to address chronic underfunding, unsafe workloads, staffing shortages, and the growing expansion of private, for-profit health care.

Unifor represents more than 35,000 health care and social services workers across Canada, including members working in hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, home care, emergency medical services, and community-based social services.

The union recently launched the Care Can’t Wait campaign to push for safe staffing, stronger public services, an end to privatization, and meaningful investments in frontline workers as part of its fight for a health care system that prioritizes patients, workers, and quality care over corporate profit.

See photos from the march and rally on Unifor’s Facebook page.