Seachange Bulletin #112

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Seachange Bulletin #112: Salute to Canadian Nurses: CFNU & FIIQ

About the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
<http://www.nursesunions.ca/about/index.shtml>

Protecting the health of patients and our national health system, and promoting nurses and the nursing profession at the national level ­ and doing it effectively ­ is the job of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. We pressure the federal government to recognize the professional skills and knowledge that nurses bring to our jobs. We also push them to recognize the caring, human touch nurses bring which is so important to patients¹ healing. We work to make sure nurses¹ and patients¹ priorities are reflected in health and budgetary policy and when national politicians talk ³health.² Nurses, our patients, and our national health system itself are often up against big insurance and pharmaceutical corporations, health professionals and others. These monied interests want health policy to serve them, and have lobbying ³muscle² in the capital. That¹s where we come in. Patients and nurses need effective advocates. We make sure that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, other MPs and top levels bureaucrats know what nurses think. Whether it¹s before policy is made or after a government mis-step, we are there. We represent nurses to the national media telling nurses¹ stories in ways that make the media want to listen. We serve as an information resource ­ keeping nurses abreast of the issues, creative strategies, tactics, and the lessons learned is an important part of our job. Just as importantly, we are the national voice of nurses within the Canadian Labour Congress, and within the wider community of nurses in Canada and around the world. Conservative and Liberal governments severely cut back our national health program in the 1990s. Our mission has been to fix the system they broke.

• CFNU was able to focus media attention last year on the nation-wide nurses shortage and then use it to leverage action from federal and provincial governments to retain nurses working in the system and to recruit new people to the profession.
• We were able to show the national media in 1999 that striking nurses in Newfoundland, Quebec and Saskatchewan were fighting for the same thing. This profile in the news gave nurses issues greater presence, pulled more nurses into the fight, and brought more power to nurses at the bargaining table.
• Our years of lobbying, rallying and media work have paid off. Canada¹s governments agreed to restore the cuts made in the 90's. Now we will work to ensure that substantial sums are invested in nurses and to develop the kind of system patients need.
  

Nurses move National Convention to Toronto
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, May 23, 2003
<http://www.newswire.ca/releases/May2003/23/c4799.html>

Ottawa - The President of the largest organization of nurses in the country today announced that her organization will move its Eleventh Biennial Convention to Toronto in solidarity with the city and its nurses. "When we chose to move our convention, the choice of 'where?' was clear," said CFNU President Kathleen Connors, RN. "Toronto was the right place to hold it. CFNU affiliated nurses have shown great bravery and dedication in the battle against SARS. We thought that this would be a way of standing in solidarity with them. We also thought that Toronto, maligned in the international press and hurt economically, deserves to have the convention of Canada's frontline nurses. ... ² Connors and the CFNU National Executive Board pulled the Convention out of St John's (NL) in solidarity with strikers at that city's airport.

Strikes, SARS, Airline Crisis
Nurses still determined to hold convention in Toronto
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, May 31, 2003
<http://www.nursesunions.ca/con-doc1.pdf>

Toronto - The largest nurses¹ organization in the country will open its 11th biennial convention in Toronto this week ­ no matter what. Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Kathleen Connors pulled the event, which was scheduled to be held in St. John¹s, Newfoundland, in order to avoid crossing an airport picket line. Instead, she chose Toronto to show solidarity with nurses, other health care workers, and with the people of this city rocked by the SARS outbreak. ³Murphy¹s Law (ŒWhatever can go wrong, will!¹) appears to have followed us from Newfoundland to Toronto. Now we have the possibility of the airlines cutting flights or even shutting down!² said Connors. ³It won¹t stop us. We will hold this convention no matter what,² Connors concluded. Connors is the dean of Canada¹s nurse leaders ­ holding the post of CFNU President for 20 years. She is retiring after this week.

Romanow & McLellan to address convention dedicated to SARS nurses
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, June 2, 2003
<http://www.nursesunions.ca/con-doc2.pdf>

Toronto - Canada¹s organization of front line nurses will hold the business segment of its 11th Biennial Convention in Toronto this Thursday and Friday (June 5-6). On Thursday, the convention will host 475 nurse delegates and will feature addresses by former National Health Commissioner Roy Romanow (10:30 AM) and Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan (3:30 PM). ... The Nurses¹ Convention also features speeches by actor Shirley Douglas, Canadian Labour Congress Executive Vice President Marie Clark Walker (the 1st woman of colour to hold a national post in labour), and the final address of CFNU President Kathleen Connors, RN, the dean of Canada¹s nurse-leaders. Connors, who retires following the convention, led the nurses¹ organization for the past 20 years and leaves it with 100,000 more members than when she started. This makes her one of the most successful union builders in Canada¹s history. ...

Delegates at nurses' convention say their work woes go beyond handling SARS
Marlene Habib, Canadian Press, June 06, 2003
<http://www.canada.com/news/story.asp?id=0AB81591-1DCB-4965-8249-4472171F1407>

Toronto - SARS may be the dreaded disease of the moment, but the woes of front-line health-care workers go well beyond dealing with the respiratory illness that has dominated news headlines, nurses said Friday at the close of their union's convention. Take Donna Forscutt, a Vancouver nurse for two decades who says the words "dying with dignity" have virtually gone out the window as hospitals cut back palliative care beds. "On the backs of the most vulnerable in society, the dying, they're cutting beds so there's nowhere for them to die," Forscutt, who works in acute care at St. Paul's Hospital, said during a break on the final day of the meeting of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. Forscutt said her hospital has eliminated its respite program - where dying patients who are at home most of the time get inpatient medical care for a week while giving their caregivers a break. Forscutt said cutting out the respite program has resulted in the hospital taking only the sickest palliative care patients, resulting in a greater burden on nurses. While SARS has had its most telling impact on Toronto-area hospitals and health-care workers, "it has put light on nursing issues that have always been there," said Forscutt. "It's brought our concerns to the forefront in the health-care system." ...

New Brunswick RN Wins Race to Lead Canada's Nurses
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, June 6, 2003
<http://www.newswire.ca/releases/June2003/06/c0484.html>

Toronto - Linda Silas, RN, will succeed Kathleen Connors at the helm of the largest organization of nurses in Canada, the Canadians Federation of Nurses Unions. A former President of the New Brunswick Nurses' Union, Silas is the first Francophone to lead the CFNU. Upon taking the podium, Silas notified Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan that she would be in touch. "I want to let Minister McLellan know that nurses want Romanow and more and the report of the Canadian Nursing Advisory Committee - and nothing less. Talk to you on Monday," said Silas. Silas then turned to nurses in the hall on the frontlines in the battle against SARS. "Please pass on to your colleagues that I will join your voices in demanding more protective equipment and more nurses on the job - and no more studies or pizzas. We must protect those who protect us" Silas said. ...

Nurses thank PM for Campaign Finance Bill

"Money will no longer talk in secret"

Ottawa - The largest organization of nurses in the country praised the Prime Minister for pushing his Campaign and Elections Finance Bill (C-24) through the House of Commons today. "The Prime Minister has secured his place in Canadian history with the passage of the Campaign and Election Finance (Reform) Bill today," said newly elected CFNU president Linda Silas, RN. "Money will still talk with a big voice - but it will no longer talk in secret. Money from wealthy interests has long been a suspected corrupter of Canadian politics. "Given the narrowly self-interested nature of big monied interests, it would have been a-historical for pharmaceutical and insurance companies, for example, not to have been major hidden but legal donors to key Ottawa politicians. Big Pharma and major insurance corporations are the largest campaign donors in the US, but the lax laws we had in Canada prior to this bill prevented daylight from reaching these deals. The law did not require a paper trail - now it does. ... ²

Nurses ask PM & Premiers to make "critically ill-prepared"
health care system "Crisis Ready"
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, June 20, 2003
<http://www.newswire.ca/releases/June2003/20/c5750.html>

Ottawa - In letters issued in provincial capitals and in Ottawa as well, the leaders of the largest nurses' organization in Canada asked their respective political leaders to make the "unprepared" system "Crisis ready for the sake of our patients and the public health." The new president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Linda Silas, and her counterparts across Canada expressed fears that lessons from the SARS crisis will take too long to learn and implement without the leadership of Canada's First Ministers. "Our health care system in Toronto was severely tested last month, and many of the system's weaknesses were revealed. Now, we fear that, as a nation, we will move too slowly to learn the lessons and incorporate the required changes from this crisis. If this turns out to be true, the consequence for our future patients could be dire," wrote Silas. "The next infectious disease to reach our shores should be a challenge to our system and its professionals - not a crisis. Prime Minister Chrétien, your leadership is required to ensure that Canadians are well protected and cared for," she said. ... The full text of the letter ... can be found at <http://www.cfnu.ca>.

Nurses warn premiers about health system
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, July 10, 2003
<http://www.nursesunions.ca/bn-pc.pdf>

Nurses from across the country say Canada's health system isn't crisis-ready and a small group of them waved signs and tried to get that message across to the premiers meeting in Charlottetown Thursday. The president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union says every province is just one flight away from the arrival of another health crisis like SARS. Debbie McGraw says the personnel and resources are not in place. She says the provinces must work to ensure there is dedicated funding. The president of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union fears the situation would get worse with the introduction of more privatization. Janet Hazelton says getting a National Health Council would go a long way to protecting the health system. Three premiers have already said they're unwilling to sign onto the deal under the present terms.

Nurses Challenge Premiers, PM to Make Health Care
³Crisis-Ready² as they Relate Lessons Learned from SARS
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, July 10, 2003
<http://www.nursesunions.ca/ls-pr4.pdf>

Charlottetown - Outside the Premiers¹ Conference, a lunch-time gathering in Charlottetown heard national and provincial nurse-leaders recount the lessons from the SARS Crisis. They concluded by asking the first ministers to make health care ³Crisis-Ready.²

³During the Crisis, nurses were on the job caring for their patients, but they were scared,² said Ontario Nurses Association Vice-President Brenda Hallihan, RN. ³They were afraid that they might pass the disease on to their families. Worse, nurses (in Ontario) who raised concerns about SARS had their concerns casually dismissed by administrators.

³The health care system in Canada¹s richest city was near collapse. There weren¹t enough nurses or other health care personnel. There weren¹t enough beds, supplies or equipment to deal with the Crisis. Now, administrators want to dismantle the strict safety procedures at hospitals. It was a big mistake a month ago and it¹s no less a mistake now,² said Hallihan.

In BC, the story was both similar and different. ³The system was severely stressed. Once nurses were on quarantine, the on-going nursing shortage was apparent to everyone. In this sense, it was very similar to Ontario,² said BC Nurses Union President Debra McPherson, RN. ³But at the Royal Columbian Hospital, which treated SARS patients, administrators listened to, and worked closely with, nurses and other staff. So through cooperation, we avoided some of the worst of it,² said McPherson.

³Chronic under-funding is the main culprit,² said the new President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Linda Silas, RN. Silas continued, ³Despite their rhetoric, neither the federal government nor provincial governments like Ontario have restored spending to their 1993/94 levels. Furthermore, neither the federal nor the provincial governments fully embrace the recommendations by Roy Romanow¹s Royal Commission. Better funding, improving and expanding public, not-for-profit health care would go a long way to make Canada Crisis-Ready,² Silas concluded.

For more information:

Linda Silas, RN, Canadian Fed. of Nurses Unions President cell) 613-859-4314
Margaret Duffy-Murphy, RN, President PEI Nurses Union cell) 902-628-9427
Kathleen Connors, RN, Chair Canadian Health Coalition cell) 613-859-7060
Brenda Hallihan, RN, 1 st VP Ontario Nurses Association cell) 416-402-9877
Debra McPherson, RN, President BC Nurses Union cell) 604-209-4253
Debbie Forward, RN, President Nfld. & Lab. Nurses Union cell) 709-682-0950
Janet Hazelton, RN, President Nova Scotia Nurses Union cell) 902-456-2084
Debbie McGraw, RN, President New Brunswick Nurses Union cell) 506-470-4965

In Delaying Health Council, Premiers Delay
Accountability on Health Care: Nurses
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, July 11, 2003
<http://www.nursesunions.ca/la-pr5.pdf>

Charlottetown - ³Nurses and their patients need the national health council as prescribed by Federal Health Commissioner Roy Romanow. By declining to create an independent national health council now, the premiers are delaying accountability,² said the new president of the largest organization of nurses in Canada, Linda Silas, RN. ³We need more transparency and greater accountability. The Health Council should help improve both by being independent from any one government in Canada. But that appears to be what¹s troubling some premiers,² said Silas. ³Our health care system needs to be crisis-ready,² said Silas. ³We agree with the premiers that this will require more money from Ottawa. But it will also require great accountability from the provinces. Creating the Romanow envisioned health council and gaining greater financial support for health care from the federal government is essential to the revival of our public health care system and to achieving real health security for all Canadians,² Silas concluded.

Linda Silas, RN, was elected President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions in June 2003.

Nurses concerned about adequacy of testing and
cleaning of mould contamination at the Foothills
United Nurses of Alberta, May 29, 2003
<http://www.unitednurses.org/media%20releases/Mould%20still%20a%20problem>

Nurses from the Foothills Medical Centre are concerned that measures to handle mould contamination may be inadequate. ³With yesterday¹s preliminary results we have confirmation of the toxic mould stachybotrus chartarum on the dialysis Unit 27,² says Michelle Senkow, Vice-President of the United Nurses of Alberta Foothills Local. ³Further testing to determine the extent of the problem and an agreed upon plan for thorough remediation are needed to make sure everything is safe.² This is the third time in eight months that mould contamination has been found on the Unit and nurses and other staff continue to suffer from symptoms, ranging from nosebleeds, to asthma to debilitating headaches. Senkow notes that 68 out of 103 RN nursing staff in the area have had health effects as a result of working on the unit. ³It must be clear to everyone that there has been a problem on the unit for some time.² Senkow says she is also concerned that the Health Region is planning to move equipment and files from the Foothills unit to the Peter Lougheed Hospital next week. ³We believe they need to do further testing before they risk cross-contamination,² she says. Senkow and the UNA Local first raised concerns with the Foothills management last October, and in January offered to pay to bring in an outside expert, Professor Tang Lee, to investigate. Hospital management refused and continues to refuse to allow Lee to conduct an investigation. ³The Hospital has frequently denied the presence of toxic mould. We still believe Prof. Lee should be brought in on the testing and remediation,² says Senkow. ...

UNA is stepping back from mould technical group
United Nurses of Alberta, June 5, 2003
<http://www.unitednurses.org/media%20releases/UNA%20out%20of%20mould%20testing%20group>

United Nurses of Alberta is stepping back from the technical group doing tests for toxic mould or other contaminants at the Foothills Medical Centre. ³We have lost confidence in the process of the technical group, and we ask that Alberta Workplace Health and Safety take immediate steps to restore that confidence,² says Michelle Senkow, UNA Local Vice-President at the Foothills. ³Our expert on the committee believes that the constraints on the investigation will compromise the results," Senkow says. ³If the committee will not allow all the tests necessary, we cannot rely on this group¹s work to determine the cause for illness on the dialysis unit.² Further testing for toxic mould contamination was slated for Thursday, June 5, at 11:30 pm, but when the UNA¹s nominated air quality expert realized that the tests would be unduly limited, she felt she had no choice but to step back from the process. ³There are almost 70 RNs who are sick on this unit, and we have to know what¹s causing the illness,² says Senkow. ...

Nurses, patients decry cuts to palliative care
British Columbia Nurses' Union, May 29, 2003
<http://www.bcnu.org/News%20Releases%202003/nr_039_2003.htm>

Nurses joined with patients and family members today to decry plans to close hospital beds and services throughout BC that accommodate people in the final days of their lives, as well as their families. "We are absolutely appalled that health authorities are so anxious to cut their spending and meet their budgets that they¹re cutting crucial palliative care services in hospitals," says Peggy Eburne, co-chair for the BC Nurses¹ Union¹s Simon Fraser Region. "What they¹re proposing to replace those beds is simply not adequate to meet the growing need for palliative care." Cuts are occurring across the province. Perhaps the most dramatic is in the Fraser Health Authority, where officials plan to eliminate all 12 palliative care beds at Eagle Ridge Hospital, and all 10 beds at St. Mary¹s Hospital, leaving only 10 tertiary palliative beds at Burnaby General for the entire Fraser North area, which stretches as far east as Maple Ridge. Those remaining 10 beds would be open only to patients with the most complex needs. The plan is to sharply increase the number of patients who die at home and in newly-created hospice beds. ...

2003 Pride Parade: BCNU members invited to participate
British Columbia Nurses' Union, July 9, 2003
<http://www.bcnu.org/Bulletins_2003/bull_043_2003.htm>

BCNU members are invited to participate in the 2003 Pride Parade on Sunday August 3 from 12 to 2 pm. Once again BCNU will be participating with the Multi-Union Pride contingent, on floats and on foot. Transportation will be available in the parade for those unable to walk the entire route. The parade is Western Canada¹s largest annual celebration for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered peoples. It¹s also for family and friends and is always a fun event. The parade starts at Denman and Nelson, travels along Pacific and Beach and ends at Sunset Beach with the Pride Concert Stage and Festival site running until 6 pm. For those outside the Lower Mainland, check with your local media for Pride events in your area. For more information contact Jean Smith, BCNU executive councillor 604-433-2268 (voice mail 802) and check the BCNU website www.bcnu.org

Doctors, nurses criticize party health plans
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, May 26, 2003
<http://nb.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nb_healthplatform20030526>

Saint John - The Tory and Liberal plans for more medical and nursing students are getting bad grades from the province's medical professionals. The provincial Liberals say they'll open 38 new seats in New Brunswick's nursing schools if they're elected. The Tories' plan is even more aggressive, promising 95 new seats. The president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union is glad to see both parties are talking about the issue. But, Debbie McGraw says it may not be as simple as picking a number. "They might be slightly high at the 95 end, when you look at the number of staff at the university and available to teach." Especially after UNB cut its seats by almost 20 a couple of months ago because the teachers couldn't handle the load. Family doctors have even bigger questions about opening more seats in medical schools, and more aggressive recruitment programs. Dr. Michael Simon represents family physicians, and he says the government should first concentrate on keeping the family doctors it has. "You've seen a number of young doctors move into the emergency rooms or after hours clinics or surgical assists because they're getting burned out, and what is the government going to do to keep these guys in practice?"  Simon says, if work conditions don't improve for family doctors there will be no incentive for any others to come. He says boosting the number of university seats could mean the province will train more doctors only to have them go elsewhere to set up practice.

No Place for Profit in Health Care
Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses¹ Union, March 11, 2003
<http://www.nlnu.nf.ca/new/new_profit_fr.htm>

Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses¹ Union President Debbie Forward said today that she is extremely concerned the provincial government has already made the decision to privatize long-term care in Newfoundland and Labrador. Forward responded to the report on the Chancellor Park pilot project just released by government. ³I am concerned that government is about to make widespread changes to the way long term care is delivered in this province, when the only evidence before them is a study which has many limitations,² said Forward.  ³We have just come out of a Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada that concluded there is no evidence to support for-profit health care as better or more cost-effective. Yet just months later, the provincial government is ignoring those findings and are moving toward for-profit health care.² The NLNU is calling on government to abandon this course of action, and concentrate on our publicly funded, publicly delivered system. ³There is no room for profit in the delivery of health care in Canada,² said Forward. ³Government¹s responsibility does not end at the door of the long term care facility. Our seniors deserve better.²

Nurses Want Health Care System Made Crisis Ready
Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses¹ Union, June 20 , 2003
<http://www.nlnu.nf.ca/new/new_crisis_fr.htm>

St. John¹s ­ Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses¹ Union President Debbie Forward today requested a meeting with Premier Roger Grimes to discuss the province¹s ability to cope with a crisis like SARS should the need arise. Nurses¹ union leaders have made similar requests for meetings with Premiers today across the country. As well, the Canadian Federation of Nurses¹ Unions has requested a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the recent lessons learned and suggest some options for improving the system¹s crisis readiness. ³To date, we have been fortunate in this province, not to have to deal with SARS,² said Forward. ³However, we are concerned about the system¹s current ability to cope, should we face an infectious disease like SARS. We need to learn from Toronto¹s recent experience. ³The reality of the world today is that people travel widely, and we can¹t ensure infectious diseases won¹t find their way to our province. We need to be as prepared as possible, and making the health care system crisis-ready for the sake of our patients and the public health is a high priority for nurses.² Forward noted that one way to be ready for a crisis is to ensure that there are enough health care professionals, including nurses, available in the system. Without initiatives to address the aging nursing workforce, increased workloads due to lack of support staff, and inadequate number of nurses being educated to enter the system, government will be challenged to cope with a crisis. ...

The Canadian Labour Congress rules in favour of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union
Janet Hazelton, Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, June 2003
<http://www.nsnu.ns.ca/main/main.asp?L1Id=5&L2Id=357>

I am very pleased to report that we were successful in our complaint to the Canadian Labour Congress. I have received a letter from Ken Georgetti, the President of the CLC, to James Clancy, the President of the National Union of Provincial Government Employees ("NUPGE") asking him how he will comply with the final and binding ruling of the Umpire appointed under the CLC Constitution to deal with our complaint. The Umpire found that the NUPGE affiliate in Nova Scotia,(the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union) violated Section 3, Article IV of the Constitution of the CLC. The Umpire concluded that the application to the Labour Relations Board would "disrupt or disturb" the collective bargaining relationship that the Nurses' Union has with the Capital District Health Authority, DHA 9 on behalf of Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all of the members of the Nurses' Union who have been so patient and steadfast in their support of their Union during this difficult and stressful time. I also want to extend huge thanks to the officers and staff of the Nurses' Union who have worked so hard to ensure a positive outcome. On behalf of every single Nurse in the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, I am so delighted that the Nurses' Union will continue to represent Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses at

Cobequid Multi-Service Centre
Dartmouth General
Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital
Hants Community Hospital
Musquodoboit Valley Memorial Hospital
Twin Oaks Hospital

Janet Hazelton, President of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union

Union drops bid to 'raid' members
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, June 4 2003
<http://novascotia.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ns_nursesunions20030604>

Halifax - There's a quick end to a dispute between two unions that represent nurses in the Halifax area. The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union will drop its efforts to represent all nurses who work for the capital health district authority. The Canadian Labour Congress says the attempted merger breaks the CLC's constitution. Joan Jessome, president of the government employee's union, says she's surprised and disappointed by the ruling. Seven months ago, her union made the merger application. Jessome said it was to protect her union members at the Nova Scotia Hospital. Mental health and drug dependency services are consolidated at Dartmouth General Hospital, where nurses are represented by the Nova Scotia Nurses Union. The union never bought the argument. It called the merger proposal a raid.

Nurses unions have tough time getting past 'mistrust'
Shaune MacKinlay, The Halifax Daily News, June 5, 2003
<http://www.canada.com/halifax/dailynews/story.asp?id=9A805A99-B2ED-4047-BACB-F01C2B484C04>

The president of the Nova Scotia Nurses¹ Union says it¹s time to lay the past to rest now that a Canadian Labour Congress ruling has stopped a raid by a rival union. ³As far as I¹m concerned, both unions have a responsibility to represent the nurses in Nova Scotia to the best of their ability,² said NSNU president Janet Hazelton yesterday. ³I¹m hoping that we¹ll be able to work together to ensure that happens.² But, the president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union is in no rush to kiss and make up. ³There¹s a lot of mistrust from this union to that union,² said NSGEU president Joan Jessome. The NSGEU made a request to the Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board yesterday to withdraw its application to merge nursing bargaining units in Capital Health. The move followed a Labour Congress ruling Tuesday that the NSGEU was wrong to go after 500 nurses represented by NSNU. ³It¹s not nice to be found guilty, but we will abide by the ruling,² Jessome said. ³We didn¹t enter into this to be malicious, we didn¹t enter into this to destroy the Nurses¹ Union, we entered into it to protect our nurses.² The NSGEU applied last October to represent nurses at Dartmouth General Hospital because it feared its own members¹ seniority and job security would be jeopardized if mental health and drug dependency programs at Nova Scotia Hospital were moved to Dartmouth General. ...

York Region and Ontario Nurses' Association
reach tentative deal on new collective agreement
Ontario Nurses' Association, June 19, 2003
<http://www.newswire.ca/releases/June2003/19/c5126.html>

Newmarket - The Regional Municipality of York and the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) have reached a tentative collective agreement on a new three-year contract following nine hours of mediated negotiations yesterday. Both parties signed a tentative settlement agreement last night, and each party has agreed to ratify the tentative settlement within two weeks. The term of the contract is from January 1, 2003 to December 31st, 2005. Local 16 of the ONA represent 184 public health nurses employed by The Regional Municipality of York. Both the Region and the ONA have agreed to keep all details of the tentative settlement confidential until York Regional Council and the members of Local 16 of the ONA ratify the contract.

Statement on Death of Nurse from SARS
Ontario Nurses¹ Association, June 30, 2003
<http://www.ona.org/wac/pr/Media Statement re death of a nurse June 30.pdf>

... We are deeply saddened by the death of the nurse at North York General, a dedicated nursing professional and ONA member, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues. This unfortunate event underscores the very urgent need to ensure that all front-line health care workers who provide direct patient care are fully protected at all times. They need proper safety equipment that is fit-tested and functioning at maximum efficiency. We are calling on the Ontario Ministry of Labour to vigorously investigate hospitals to ensure they are complying with directives for the containment of SARS, particularly the fit-testing of face masks. We cannot afford to let down our guard in light of this deadly disease. Research has shown a direct link to improperly-fitted masks and the spread of SARS, and unfortunately our experience has borne this out. The provincial government must ensure their directives for containing SARS are followed, to ensure the safety and protection of nurses, their patients and the public.

Nurses ask Premier to make ³critically ill-prepared²
health care system ³Crisis Ready²
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, June 2003
<http://www.sun-nurses.sk.ca/media_2003.html>

In letters issued in provincial capitals and in Ottawa, the leaders of Canada¹s largest nurse¹s organization asked their respective political leaders to make the ³unprepared² health care system ³crisis ready for the sake of our patients and the public health.² SUN President Rosalee Longmoore and her counterparts across Canada expressed fears that lessons from the SARS crisis will take too long to learn and implement without a direct role of Canada¹s First Ministers. ³Canada¹s health care system was severely tested in Toronto last month, and many of the system¹s weaknesses were revealed. Now, we fear that, as a nation, we will move too slowly to learn the lessons and incorporate the required changes from this crisis. If this turns out to be true, the consequence for our future patients could be dire,² Longmoore predicted. ³The next infectious disease to reach our shores should be a challenge ­ not a crisis ­ to our system and its health care professionals. Premier Calvert, your leadership is required to ensure that the people of Saskatchewan are well protected and cared for,² Longmoore declared. ...

Editorial Comment: The web site of the Nurses¹ Federation of Québec (La Fédération des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec) <http://www.fiiq.qc.ca> is a treasure-trove of thoughtful and thought-provoking documents. The ability to read French is quite helpful here, but some key articles have been translated into English for those of us not yet so blessed.

Un autre monde est possible ...

Syndicalisme et travail infirmier à l'heure de la mondialisation

Document de réflexion thématique du 6e Congrès de la
Fédération des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (2001)

An exploratory process in view of affiliation: Why?
La Fédération des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, May 2001
<http://www.fiiq.qc.ca/documents/demarche_05-2001_eng.pdf>

Starting last December, following up on a Federal Council decision, a work team at the FIIQ began an exploratory process in view of a possible affiliation with the FTQ. At the March Federal Council, delegates decided to pursue this exploratory process and to undertake another with, on the one hand, the CSN and, on the other, the Canadian Federation of Nurses¹ Unions. Remember that these motions were debated because the FIIQ had been approached, firstly by the FTQ, and then by the CSN. Both organizations offered to accept the FIIQ as an autonomous organization within their ranks. Why did these two central labour organizations make such an offer to the FIIQ? Because both the FTQ and the CSN are looking for what the FIIQ represents: militancy, determination, the representativeness and expertise of the nurses of the Federation. ... It is important to make clear that the Federation is neither in difficulty, nor up for a liquidation sale. On the contrary, the reflection on a possible affiliation is a good opportunity for nurses to reassert that they are proud of belonging to the FIIQ, and it is also evidence of the maturity of the organization and of the will of leaders to serve members always better. After 13 years of existence, it is normal to take stock of past actions and to envisage the future. ... The Health and Social Services network is still under the threat of budgetary constraints and privatization of public services, besides being subject to political decisions motivated by economic imperatives. Moreover, the aging of the population will engender a greater demand for care while, if nothing significant is done, the shortage of nurses will continue to grow in the coming years. While we wonder how the health-care network will continue to respond adequately, we also wonder how nurses will be able to improve their daily situation collectively. This is undoubtedly a good opportunity for us to reflect on the limits of independent unionism in Quebec, and its current and future scope, to reposition the union movement in the public sector, to analyze the future of the Federation, and how it should adapt and evolve. ... In union democracy, it is the responsibility of leaders to propose, but it is the responsibility of members or their representatives, the delegates, to decide. However, this power and responsibility engenders the obligation to be open, to analyze and reflect on past, present and future actions. ... On December 2, 1987, the dream of thousands of nurses of an entire generation finally became a reality. It was in an atmosphere of euphoria that the FIIQ came to be. ... The unification of nurses under the same banner is one of the marking events of the union movement of the eighties. From the very beginning, delegates wanted their new federation to be more than an organization focused mainly on labour relations and collective bargaining. Of course, these two activities predominate, but they are far from being the only activities of the organization. Concerned, among others, by women¹s struggles here and abroad, and the need to preserve and develop an adequate socio-sanitary network for Quebec, the FIIQ thus became involved in the area of labour and social struggles. ... To be there tomorrow: we did not know how much of a prophecy this slogan would turn out to be. Initially used to support the first bargaining round for FIIQ nurses and to express the importance for Quebec and its health-care network of attracting and retaining nurses in the profession, it later became a slogan reflecting FIIQ nurses¹ resistance to the repression exercised by the Bourassa government. Ten years later, nurses once again had to fight for the recognition of their rights and to publicly highlight the severe fragility of the health-care network, as a result of the budget cutbacks and the all-out financial policies put forward by our rulers. ... Yes, nurses have made gains - and substantial gains at that - through collective bargaining, but there are still numerous problems in the health-care network. Just think of the accessibility of care, the threat of privatization, the lack of nursing personnel. However, these problems are not specific to Quebec. At the People¹s Summit of the Americas held in April, hundreds of participants in the union forum, from the three Americas, united and declared in unison ³ Š we commit ourselves to consolidating the union movement in the Americas in order that it become an unavoidable player for cooperation between the peoples. We commit ourselves to tightening the links between our organizations and to coordinating our struggles. To this end, we will multiply exchanges among ourselves and we will set up a permanent information network Š ² The process of globalization is irreversible and the Federation must position itself in the broadest possible context and to do this it cannot conceal the current context. International market economy, neo-liberal ideology, seats of power that shift and that increasingly escape citizen control make it imperative for progressive organizations and workers to organize as broadly as possible, to propose credible solutions, to be proactive rather than victims and to break isolation. That is the only way out. An organization, no matter how credible and representative it is, must turn towards permanent alliances. Depending on whether one is for or against, there are many and very different definitions of globalization, because it has effects in many areas. Here is one definition drawn from the CISO training document that concerns the economy. In this field, the phenomenon of ³globalization refers to the expansion of the market economy in all the sectors of society and in all the corners of the planet. The territory of transnational corporations is the planet and its market is the aggregate of all countries.² On first look, this technical definition does not appear to be very threatening; it does not even seem to concern us. Beware, behind this strictly economic statement, there are four clear policies that guide government decisions:

• free trade that is designed to eliminate all forms of national control over trade;
• deregulation that is designed to eliminate everything which impedes, delays or reduces the capacity of corporations to make profits;
• privatization that consists in selling national ³goods² to the private sector;
• dismantling of the protective role of the State that contributes to move from the Welfare State, where the State is the protector of the public, to the ³facilitator² State, where the State acts as support for the market.
  

• as an organization that defends nurses¹ interests, develop closer ties with private enterprise and unionize workers who wage struggles there to obtain recognition for their rights;
• as a federation, extend the basis of our expertise and credibility by being in contact with the viewpoints developed by others;
• as a Quebec labour organization, try to make the voice of nurses heard at the national and international level ;
• as an organization, develop ties with other more powerful union groups or with union groups that have influence within and beyond Quebec and Canadian borders.
• as an organization, have our say and ensure that health-care services in Quebec meet the expectations of the population.
  

Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont:
Les Infirmières de L'Urgence Manifesteront
lors de la Journée de la Fête des Mères
La Fédération des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, le 10 mai 2003
<http://www.fiiq.qc.ca/compress/030510.htm>

Montréal - Les infirmières syndiquées de l'urgence de l'Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR) manifesteront dimanche le 11 mai de 12h00 à 14h00 devant l'hôpital pour dénoncer la situation qu'elles vivent. Les infirmières veulent des journées normales de travail avec un personnel suffisant. "Nous nous sentons prises en otage lorsque nous venons travailler. Nous ne savons jamais si nous pourrons rentrer à la maison après notre quart de travail. Serons-nous en nombre suffisant pour soigner les malades ou encore serons-nous obligées de faire du temps supplémentaire? Ces questions, on se les pose à chaque jour, ça ne peut plus continuer comme ça", de déclarer Lucie Leblond, représentante syndicale des infirmières de HMR. Selon les infirmières, cette situation dure depuis plusieurs mois et affecte leur santé. Elles vivent dans un état de fatigue et de stress extrêmes et n'ont plus de vie personnelle et familiale. "Nous assumons de lourdes responsabilités auprès de la clientèle qui se présente à l'urgence et nous voulons offrir des services de qualité. Il est évident que lorsque nous ne sommes pas en nombre suffisant ou lorsque nous travaillons 16 heures de suite, nous ne pouvons assurer la même qualité de service." Les infirmières ne privilégient pas comme solution de diminuer les services à la population, mais dans un contexte de pénurie comme c'est actuellement le cas, "il faut réduire le nombre de patients à l'urgence pour permettre aux infirmières de reprendre leur souffle et assurer une qualité de soins et de services que la population est en droit de recevoir", de conclure madame Leblond. ...

Nurses hold Mother's Day protest
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, May 11 2003
<http://montreal.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nurses110503>

Montréal - Nurses and their families gathered in front of Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Sunday to protest their working conditions. The employees of one of the city's most chronically overcrowded hospitals say they are overworked, understaffed and burned out. They used Mother's Day to highlight the effect those conditions are having, not only on their health, but on their family lives. Some say they are forced to work so much overtime at the hospital they rarely get to see their families, and they even feel as if they are being held hostage by the health care system.

Some closing thoughts:

Morbid thoughts in morbid times
Rick Salutin, Toronto Globe & Mail, May 30, 2003

Globalization is death: During the first round of SARS here, I asked Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement, through an aide, if the experience had made him think any differently about privatization versus the public role in health care. I did so because, on TV, he often looked like a man genuinely trying to learn and grapple, not just calculate his best strategic response or facial expression. The answer came back: Nope, no change. Still believes in an appropriate mix of public and private etc., as always. Too bad. Horrible events often offer nothing useful except a chance to learn a bit and grow. The minister has, during the current outbreak, indicated he now thinks nursing may have been overprivatized - especially since nurses from agencies get far higher rates than they earn as public employees. It's a start.

Another person I wonder about is microbiologist Donald Low, who has been the most prominent voice during the new outbreak. It's striking, since his expertise is not public health. I think this shows in some of his up-and-down fluctuations: First time around, he said we might end up like Hong Kong, yet shortly after that, he called the WHO ban bullshit; this time, he began upbeat, then started sounding discouraged. It seemed human enough, but where were the actual public health experts, Drs. D'Cunha, Young and Basrur? Did it mean they were stymied or had nothing to say? Did it reflect their slashed budgets and the low priority on public health and the public interest in the age of privatization/globalization?

Consider the view of Globe columnist Marcus Gee ("Stop your snivelling, you bunch of pathetic hypochondriacs"), who accurately noted that AIDS, malaria and TB in the poorer countries are far more catastrophic than SARS and BSE here. But I thought the whole point of globalization was to lift standards in those places, not stop us from sliding too far downward toward their wretched stats. When I say globalization is death, I don't just mean the diffusion of disease due to uncontrolled global market forces and deregulation. I also mean the death of the ability to think self-protectively as a society. Our "authorities" now admit they didn't pay close enough continuing attention to SARS, but look at the pressures on them: to be onside, boost Toronto, attack the WHO, get out and eat and spend - as if the only way to express the public interest in this era is to increase GDP. Can most of us even explain what "public health" means?

What would it take to get people to think differently? Minds don't change easily. Pharaoh wouldn't let the children of Israel go until his own child was struck down by a vengeful death and, even then, he reversed himself moments later, sending his chariots after the newly liberated slaves, only to see his forces drown in the Red Sea.

Canada is dead: Reports of Canada's death are often exaggerated. The most intellectually visceral, if you can abide the phrase, was George Grant's 1965 Lament for a Nation, which was followed by 20 of the best years that Canadian nationalism ever saw. Three elections ago, über-Canadian nationalist Mel Hurtig said that vote would be Canada's last chance to save itself. Ed Broadbent said the country wouldn't last 25 years if free trade came in, though there are still 10 to go. Time magazine's latest cover asks, "Would anyone notice if Canada disappeared?" - which is the most attention that Time has paid Canada in a while. Andrew Cohen's new book, While Canada Slept: How We Lost Our Place in the World, is not an "elegy," he says, but it eulogizes Canada's diplomacy, aid and peacekeeping in the Pearson years. He asks Canadians to "awaken from their long slumber" and adopt a national project (projet de pays) by defining "a particular idea of Canada."

This week, I had the luck to hear Joe Clark, Canada's smartest party leader, till tomorrow, ruminate on these things. He was an effective foreign minister himself, in the 1980s. He admires Lester Pearson but says those guys had the chance to make policy without much interference. Canada was far less complex, diverse and insistent on knowing what was about to be done in its name. Still, Joe says he likes the idea of a projet de pays. But it made me wonder if that idea, too, might belong to the past. I mean, kids are now told they will not have a single career (a "particular idea" of themselves). So why should a country? Canadians would hardly buy into a US-style definition (greatest country in the world, bestower of freedom etc.). Nations are not about to vanish, but what becomes of their identity in an age more skeptical, fluid, interconnected and, well, skeptical? Is there another way to acquire a sense of national self? Via attitude, openness, ability to respond quickly while staying attuned to others? That kind of thing could be useful in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

rsalutin@globeandmail.ca

© 2003 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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