BC Health Coalition

07/23/2026

British Columbians were well represented in PEI at this week's rally outside the premiers meeting, standing shoulder to shoulder with health care advocates from across the country.

Our members at the Hospital Employees' Union know the stories BC brings to the table in this important national conversation. Investing in public solutions and the workers who deliver care is the path to better care for everyone. Privatization experiments in BC (and across the country) have never delivered on their promises.

07/22/2026

Yes!

07/22/2026

This morning, we joined with health coalitions and allies across the country to call on premiers to protect our health care system from US-style threats.

Our Executive Director, Cherie Payne, made the connection to our health care: “British Columbia has delivered real progress — from the new Cowichan District Hospital and Royal Columbian’s acute care tower to free contraceptive coverage and expanded midwifery — but hallway medicine, ER closures, and stalled long-term care projects in Delta, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Kelowna, and Fort St. John show the job isn’t done. Premier Eby must stop the drift toward privatization and invest in the public system that actually cares for British Columbians.”

Read the full statement!

https://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/health_coalitions_call_on_premiers_to_protect_public_health_care_in_the_face_of_two_tier_threat

Defenders of public Medicare issue joint statement in Charlottetown

07/15/2026

Well said! "Albertans deserve the same protection as all Canadians when it comes to access to universal health care."

We need clarity from our federal health minister and a clear commitment to enforce the Canada Health Act.

07/09/2026

Here's a great throwback to a court house rally back when the BC Health Coalition was taking on private interests during the Cambie Case.

Part 2 of our Summer Series looks at four key moments where legal challenges threatened the public health system. They remind us that we can’t take universal support for public health care over private profit centres for granted.

Find a shady spot, grab a cool drink, and have a read.

https://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/summer2_the_legal_battles_over_medicare

07/07/2026

Great vibes and lots of power in solidarity at the BC Nurses' Union picket line at VGH today. Great to see health care workers showing up for each other and for our health care system.

Health Sciences Association of British Columbia Hospital Employees' Union BCGEU CUPE BC

07/06/2026

As the premiers gather later this month in Prince Edward Island to discuss cooperation on trade, economic, health, and other issues, we need strong leadership from David Eby and the other premiers, sending a clear message that the provinces and territories expect the federal government to uphold and protect the Canada Health Act.

It is also important to let MLAs in BC know that two-tier health care is the wrong way to go.

Read BC Health Coalition Executive Director Cherie Payne's full letter in the July-August issue of the BC Medical Journal:

Home Updates The cure is public The cure is public Posted by Audrey Guay on July 06, 2026 This letter was initially published in the BC Medical Journal, Issue: BCMJ, vol. 68, No. 6, July August 2026 By: Cherie Payne, BA, LLBExecutive Director, BC Health Coalition This summer, Canada’s provincial a...

07/02/2026

Send the nurses in your lives some love today as BC nurses are set to begin historic job action.

Nurses have long been at the front lines of the struggle for a high quality, well-funded health care system that works for workers and the public. Bargaining is about much more than work conditions. We all benefit when nurses have safe workplaces, fair compensation, and the respect they deserve.

In the spirit of our Summer Series' dive into the archives, enjoy some of these great images of nurses fighting for medicare.

The BC Health Coalition stands with our nurses, with thanks for all the moments they stand by us in some of our hardest moments.

06/24/2026

Our friends in Alberta have just seen their government enact Bill 11. By allowing "dual practice", this change contravenes the Canada Health Act and undermines their health care system.

Now's the time to remember that the story of the Canada Health Act is one of collective organizing. It’s an ongoing story of struggle between the common good and the profit motive of medical associations, private investors, and an American-based private insurance industry. The struggle is ongoing.

This summer, we're taking a deep dive into the archives of the movement of Canadian medicare. Read our first blog highlighting 10 key moments in the story of the Canada Health Act.

https://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/how_everyday_people_built_medicare

06/03/2026

It's time to end financial barriers to home support. Add your voice at https://www.healthcareneedshomecare.ca/

“In an overburdened healthcare system, we need to invest in prevention, not just crisis care. A third of emergency room visits by seniors in B.C. result in a hospital admission at a cost of $1,000 a day, a situation that could often be averted by a $50/day home support visit,” said Cheryl Cameron, BC Health Coalition.

Great to be part of this important campaign launch, in coalition with Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia, COSCO Council of Senior Citizens' Organizations of B.C., Independent Long-Term Care Councils Association of BC, 411 Seniors Centre Society, Seniors First BC, Family Caregivers of British Columbia, and BC Care Providers Association!