Liberals call for Ford Government to address Ontario’s healthcare crisis

Healthcare workers say Ontario is in the midst of a crisis. The Liberal government is calling on the Ford government to address the staffing problems in hospitals, that have led to emergency room closures.

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser says the first step would be for Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones to show up and publically acknowledge the situation in hospitals right now.

“What do we need in our ERs? What do we need in our hospitals? We need nurses, we need doctors. How do you get them? First of all you treat them right, you treat them with respect,” Fraser said.

The liberals as well as the Ontario Nurses Association are calling on the province to repeal Bill 124. Bill 124 limits wage increases for nurses to a maximum of one per cent total compensation for three years.

President of the Ontario Nurses Association, Cathryn Hoy says the pandemic put too much stress and strain on nurses causing many to leave the field altogether. Now hospital ERs in the province are shutting down and patient care is lacking because she says, there simply aren’t enough workers. Hoy says Ontarians should be concerned.

The liberals say repealing Bill 124, expediting credentialing for foreign-trained nurses, and increasing resources for primary care would alleviate some of the strain on hospitals.