EDMONTON — Alberta’s opposition party is calling for an emergency debate to discuss the United Conservative Party’s plan to eliminate more than 5,000 front-line public health care jobs.

The plan for an emergency debate was announced by NDP MLA David Shepherd, official Opposition critic for health, on Sunday. It is in reaction to a series of reports sent out by union groups such as United Nurses of Alberta, Health Sciences Association and Alberta Union of Provincial Employees on Friday that sounded the alarm over the UCP’S decision to either cut or contract out at least 5,150 public health care jobs. Shepherd said this was not part of the UCP’s campaign.

“There is a reason they didn’t campaign on this, because if they campaigned on this, Albertans would have rejected it,” Shepherd said Sunday. “Instead they chose to lie to Albertans. They chose to hide their intent.”

Shepherd also called out Jason Kenney for back-peddling on an election promise made in February, where he pledged to “maintain a universally accessible, publicly funded health care system.”

“The premier stood in front of the TV cameras this past spring and signed a giant placard saying that he would not endanger health care in the province of Alberta,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd called the loss of these positions “devastating.”

“I have been across this province. I have talked to front line health care workers. They are struggling in terms of capacity on the front line,” he said.

“Pulling up to 750 nursing positions out of the province of Alberta is going to be devastating for patient care.”

On Friday, the United Nurses of Alberta reacted to this plan, calling it a betrayal of trust and broken promise.

David Harrigan, labour negotiator for the United Nurses of Alberta, said the significant number of layoffs will have consequences.

“It means longer wait lists. It means less care. It likely means more privatization,” Harrigan said Friday.

In his speech at the UCP’s annual general meeting in Calgary, Kenney called these cuts the right choice for Alberta.

“We could act, finally, to bring Alberta spending in line with our means. We could try to be at least as efficient as other provinces,” he said. “And that’s what we chose to do, to keep our commitment to stop mortgaging our future.”

Steve Buick, press secretary of health for the UCP confirmed that they are looking at cutting 5,000 public health care positions. He said that although some health care jobs will be lost completely, the majority coming from the front line, he expects many of those positions will be replaced by the private sector.

“The suggestion is 5,000 jobs would change. About three-quarters would be people who would end up working for a different employer,” he said, referring to the privatization of jobs.

“The remaining quarter, roughly, would be actual reductions, yes.”

Buick said it will be up to the private employer to decide if those hypothetical new positions would be filled by employees who lost their jobs in the public sector.

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“A lot of them will be the same people moving over, but not all of them. There is no guarantee,” he said.

Shepherd said the NDP will ask to set aside regular business at the legislature on Monday afternoon to discuss this issue.

“This is something that the government had not previously provided information on so we are asking that the House set aside their other business to discuss the issue,” he said.

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