REALITY CHECK: McIver says Better Healthcare for Albertans with Disabilities a "Giveaway"

­For immediate release
April 18, 2017

McIVER SAYS BETTER HEALTHCARE FOR ALBERTANS WITH DISABILITIES A “GIVEAWAY”

EDMONTON- It’s time for Ric McIver, PC MLA for Calgary-Hays, to come clean on why he thinks better healthcare for Albertans with disabilities is a “giveaway” meant to “buy your votes”.

In an opinion piece this month in the publication “Your Quarry Park Riverbend,” McIver said the government has “A whole variety of giveaways from lightbulbs to better health care for disabled persons. … It looks to me like they are trying to buy your votes.”

“It’s disappointing the PCs do not welcome our government’s support for Albertans with disabilities.  Instead, they want to further segregate those with a disability by calling their health care supports a ‘giveaway’,” says Marie Renaud, MLA for St. Albert. “I’m proud this budget is expanding home care and working towards more accessible and timelier services for Albertans with disabilities.”

“Mr. McIver is attacking our public health care system, calling public services ‘giveaways’ meant to ‘buy your votes’. Albertans with disabilities deserve better from the PCs,” said Renaud.

The entire paragraph in question from McIver is as follows:[1]

“On March 2 the NDP government had their throne speech. They promised a whole variety of giveaways from lightbulbs to better health care for disabled persons. They provided no idea how they would pay for these things in light of the over $10 billion deficit they are running this year and projecting to run another big deficit next year. It looks to me like they are trying to buy your votes now with borrowed money that you will be required to pay back later.”

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Media Inquiries

Maureen Mariampillai

Communications Officer, Alberta NDP Caucus

780-644-5162

 

[1] http://www.great-news.ca/Newsletters/Calgary/SE/Quarry_Park_Riverbend/Quarry_Park_Riverbend.pdf