“Budget 2016 – It's time for them to pay us back!”

Feminist action to denounce austerity measures in healthcare

Montreal, February 24th, 2016. – The Centre des femmes solidaires et engagées, the Coalition montréalaise pour la survie des services publics, the Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ), the Fédération des associations de familles monoparentales et recomposées du Québec (FAFMRQ), the Fédération québécoise pour le planning des naissances (FQPN), the Table des centres de femmes de Montréal-Laval and the L’R des centres de femmes du Québec (L’R) denounced Minister Barrette’s austerity policies with urgent warnings about the living conditions of women, with the help of a little glitter. The cuts to healthcare and social services are made on the backs of women, including workers, service users, participants and caregivers. Women have had enough of the consequences of austerity and they demand a better redistribution of wealth.

Glitter against the policies of the Minister

Activists visited the Fédération des médecins spécialistes to deliver a document on fiscal solutions by the Coalition opposée à la tarification et à la privatisation des services publics (Coalition Main Rouge). These solutions total $10 billion in revenues that the government can recover without cutting social programs and public services. The action then moved to Complexe Desjardins to announce its demands. "We targeted the Fédération des médecins spécialistes because they seem to listen to Minister Barrette, who granted them a significant wage increase while his government cut healthcare services and authorized 'accessory' fees. Women bear the brunt of these cuts. They are the main users of the healthcare system, the heads of most single-parent families, and have to pay more for their medications and those of their children. It is also women who make up the vast majority of caregivers and who must therefore compensate for any cuts made to the healthcare system," says Mélanie Sarazin, president of the FFQ.

Québec has the means to do things differently

This action was part of a national week of civil disobedience against austerity, and to promote better alternatives for wealth redistribution put forward by the Coalition Main Rouge. A few weeks ahead of the Couillard government's tabling of the budget, the groups participating in this action challenged the province to change course by reinvesting heavily in public services and social programs, instead of cutting the social safety net.

The Coalition Main Rouge proposes fiscal solutions that will allow additional revenues and redistribute more wealth, such as:

  • Reinstating a capital tax on financial institutions.
  • Increasing the tax rate on corporations.
  • Reviewing the taxation of individuals: increase the tax brackets to ensure real progressive taxation, a greater contribution of the wealthiest and increase the tax on dividends and capital gains.
  • Fighting against tax evasion.
  • Adopting measures to control drug costs, including the creating of an entirely public system of drug insurance.

The Coalition opposée à la tarification et à la privatisation des services publics unites 85 different social organizations: unions, student organizations, feminist, community and popular groups such as women’s centres, seniors’ advocacy groups, groups who help low-income individuals with budgeting and fighting poverty, etc.

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Information:

Cybel Richer-Boivin

514-717-4847

Full calendar of the national week of actions: