By Larry Brown
National Secretary-Treasurer
National Union of Public and General Employees

Canadian governments have made our public health care and other social programs very vulnerable to attack by private for profit companies outside of Canada. They have done that by signing trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Weve known that for years î º and for years weve been warning them and nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop, for someone to actually challenge our public programs.

Join the BC Health Coalition for...

The Big Issue: Debating the Future of Canadian Health Care.
A Vancouver Centre Federal All-Candidates Forum

Tuesday September 23, 2008. 1:00pm - 3:00pm.
411 Seniors Centre, 3rd Floor:
411 Dunsmuir @ Homer in Vancouver.

Call for delegates
To celebrate the International Day of Peace on September 21, the Committee on Equality and Social Action is calling on members to apply for support to attend the Remembrance Day Teach-In being developed by the World Peace Forum Society.

The 2008 annual Run for the Cure, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's most important fundraiser, is Sunday October 5.

HSA has supported the run for the past 11 years, and as a gold-level sponsor encourages HSA members and others to join the HSA team to Run for the Cure October 5.

An election campaign is no time to discuss serious issues: that famous line from the 1993 federal election seemed, to a large extent, the main truth of the first week of the 2008 federal election campaign. Watching the reports from the hustings, Canadian working families are, with reason, asking themselves the most political question of all: whats in it for us?

You are invited to:

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
CIBC Run for the Cure
HSA Chapter Meeting at VGH

HSA regional meeting
Thursday, October 23, 2008
8:30 a.m. ...4:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Vancouver
-Regency E & F"
655 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC

Regional meetings are an excellent forum for HSA members to review the issues and activities of the past year, and discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.  The meeting will be chaired by your Region 4 & 6 Directors, Agnes Jackman and Rachel Tutte.  HSA president Reid Johnson will report on union activities since the April  2008 Convention.

- Fall 2008 Steward Training Level 1 -

Stewards play a vital role in the union. Particularly important is the stewards role in contract interpretation, organizing and the grievance procedure. In recognition of the need for educating new stewards in these areas, HSA is offering a 3-day Steward Training ... Level 1 workshop at the HSA office this fall:

Dates: October 27, 28 & 29, 2008
Location: HSA Office, 300 ... 5118 Joyce Street, Vancouver

HSA regional meeting
Monday, October 20, 2008
8:30 a.m. ...4:00 p.m.
Hilton Vancouver Metrotown
-Waterford 1 & 2"
6083 McKay Avenue
Burnaby, BC

Regional meetings are an excellent forum for HSA members to review the issues and activities of the past year, and discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The meeting will be chaired by your Region
5 Director, Kimball Finigan and HSA president Reid Johnson will report on union activities since the April 2008 Convention.

The BC Health Coalition, Council of Canadians and Parksville Qualicum KAIROS is hosting two public forums on saving public health care.

The events feature best-selling author and activist Holly Dressel, who recently published Who Killed the Queen? The Story of a Community Hospital and How to Fix Health Care. The book investigates the sustainability of Canadian health care and what it offers compared to other countries' health care systems.