Location: The Forks, under the canopy
11:30AM: BEGIN TO GATHER
12:00PM: RALLY START
12:30PM: RALLY END
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Join us for the National Day of Action for Refugee Health Care!
The federal government recently announced it would be changing the Interim Federal Health Program to cut most health care benefits for refugees. This includes pharmaceutical care, but also cuts basic primary health care for many classes of refugees. In some cases, refugees will only receive basic emergency response or medicine where a public health concern is identified. The impacts could range from diabetics not getting their insulin, to children not receiving immunizations, to letting people succumb to heart attacks.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and the federal government made these changes with the argument that some Canadians don’t have coverage for things like dental care and pharmaceutical care, and so we shouldn’t be giving coverage to refugees. Canadian Doctors for Medicare believes that the Minister has this issue backwards – we believe he should be more concerned that all Canadians don’t have access to essential care such as pharmaceuticals, not that a small number of refugees do have it. Regardless of the status of a refugee’s claim, we believe Canada is a fair country, where people who come to our shores are treated with compassion, and that includes access to health care. (Source: Canadian Doctors for Medicare, http://www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca/special-alert-cuts-to-refugee-health-care-hurt-us-all.html)
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Participate in our Day of Action on Monday, June 18th, 2012 (similar events will be held across the country)
2. Sign a petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-cuts-to-healthcare-for-refugees-in-canada
3. Call or write the Hon. Jason Kenney – Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism
Express your opposition to the federal government’s planned cuts to health care services for refugees
Phone: 613-992-2235
Email: jason.kenney@parl.gc.
Note: Please copy Canadian Doctors for Medicare (info@canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca) and Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care (Docs4refugeeHC@gmail.com) on your correspondence
Summary of changes to the Interim Federal Health Program:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/outside/summary-ifhp.asp
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS CRITICAL ISSUE:
https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeHealthCare?ref=tn_tnmn
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Canada/6588508/story.html
http://www.health4all.ca/IFHPnewscoverage
FOR FURTHER INFO. SPECIFIC TO WINNIPEG’S JUNE 18 RALLY:
Email: imincanadacoalition@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page.