Nurses deserve respect and recognition: NDP

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement:

“Ontario needs to get serious about recognizing the life-saving work that nurses do. They have made huge sacrifices during the pandemic to care for the sickest Ontarians. Too many nurses have burned out and walked away because their working conditions are so bad. There are so few nurses on every shift, they’re always run off their feet. Doug Ford must revoke his low-wage policy, Bill 124, immediately and show nurses the respect they deserve.

Today’s announcement by the Ford government is nowhere near what nurses deserve. It’s an insult that Doug Ford is turning a retention bonus into an election gimmick. And while it does little to retain nurses, it does nothing at all to recruit nurses, or return nurses who have already left. Nurses deserve the cheque Ford is sending them — but they also deserve a lot more. Ford is also failing to recognize other healthcare workers who care for patients and those who keep our health system functioning. They deserve recognition and better pay too.

A health care system without enough nurses is a broken system. For decades it’s been getting worse. The NDP will fix it.”