Political action campaigns

PSAC submission to Romanow Commission

Members deliver health care message in person

"What Canadians want is to have a publicly funded health care system that is all inclusive, that doesn’t leave people marginalized," says PSAC member Lee Rosas-Shapiro in a PSAC video submitted to the Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada.

Shapiro was one of 13 delegates to the 2002 PSAC Access Conference who gave testimony in the video that focused on some of the experiences of members with disabilities in accessing the health care system.

The video, along with a letter from PSAC National President Nycole Turmel, was hand-delivered to Romanow in his office in Saskatoon by Robin East, PSAC Disability Representative on the Equal Opportunities Committee, with his dog Foxfire, Raj Dhir, Assistant National Vice President for Equal Opportunities (National Component), and Marianne Hladun, Prairie Region Council Representative for North Saskatchewan.

During their 45-minute meeting, Romanow asked the presenters what they felt was the most important health care issue facing persons with disabilities. East responded that accessibility was most important, not just in terms of getting to the doctor, but also the cost of medication and the length of time it takes for treatment. He added that not all persons with disabilities live in centres where treatment is available, so some face the difficulty of travel.

East also took the opportunity to request that the Commission's report be made available in alternate format at the same time that it was translated into French.

All in all, the four PSAC members were pleased with the presentation and the reception they received from Romanow.