TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

The background to this petition is as follows:

1. The Provincial Government’s program of cuts and restructuring in health care have had serious negative consequences, reduced both access to and quality of care for patients, increased wait times, exacerbated the nursing shortage, and significantly increased workload and the reliance on overtime from nurses and other health care professionals.
2. Further cuts and consolidation are opposed by a majority of Manitobans, and will only further reduce access to health care services.
3. The Provincial Government has rushed through these cuts and changes, and failed to adequately consult nurses and health care professionals who provide frontline patient care.
4. Ongoing cuts and changes appear to be more about saving money than improving health care.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

1. To urge the Provincial Government reverse cuts and closures that negatively impact patients’ ability to access timely, quality health care.
2. To urge the Provincial Government to make real investments in Manitoba’s public health care system that will improve the timeliness and quality of care for patients by increasing the number of beds across the system, and recruiting and retaining an adequate number of nurses and other health professionals to meet Manitoba’s needs.