An election campaign has been launched with promises of investments in health care, education and childcare services, in particular by the Liberals as it is they who were in power. However, this is money that was cut over the last four years, resulting in the erosion of the services that we provide.
It is an insult to the intelligence of the people of the north to be told that now education or health care will be taken care of. Over the past seven years alone, those who work in the field have been let go and direct cuts have been made in services to the people. Each year we find ourselves in a deficit.
As a result of the Balanced Budget Act, health care facilities must finish their year with a zero deficit. Every year we find ourselves in a deficit of between $5-6 million which we must recuperate from upcoming budgets. We have recurring deficits and are underfunded.

The people of Quebec must establish a government that believes in the public health care and education systems, with Health and Education Ministers who believe in the public system and in the personnel who provide care and services.
In health care, in order to take care of patients, the personnel who provide the service must themselves be in good health. Personnel must be taken care of. Investments must be made in our health services.
We are ready to work to improve ourselves, however everyone must be working in the same direction.
The situation must be corrected and reversed, with the correction lying in the organization of work and in budgetary reinvestment in health care facilities. We have a serious problem of lack of personnel in our region. We should be able to attract people and keep those we have at present.
We need a government that listens and will ensure that together we are able to reverse the situation for the well-being of all. We need people to take care of the health care system, not make decisions based on getting re-elected. That’s the worst thing.
To bring this about, we need a new direction for the economy which prioritizes the needs of the people and not the monopolies. The cut backs, with the excuse that we have to reduce the deficit, are just an excuse to pay the rich financiers and monopoly corporations.