Dear CCSN,
Thank you for reaching out to me today. Your questions are of utmost importance and it is urgent that we all recognize the public health crisis that our province is facing. As a frontline worker at Scarborough General for over a decade, I have seen firsthand the hardships that my patients and their families have faced as a result of the broken promises and cuts past Liberal and Conservative governments have made. The last few years of the pandemic were the most frightening – it is time for change.
The Ontario NDP and I are committed to fixing our province’s healthcare system in every aspect. We will ensure that the lives of cancer patients and cancer survivors are improved through our plans of expansions, investments, repairs to our healthcare system without privatization. COVID-19 has created a backlog of nearly 20 million health care procedures, including cancer surgeries that must be prioritized, that must be addressed and will be addressed by investing to eliminate it – something the previous Ford government did not bother with. The Ontario NDP and I will also raise hospital funding to exceed health sector inflation, population growth, expanded operating plans, and unique local needs such as aging populations.
It is important that we take immediate action and we will do so by hiring 30,000 nurses as soon as we are in office, as well as expediting the recognition of internationally trained healthcare professionals in order for them to join the province’s workforce faster and support our Ontarians. In addition to hiring more healthcare workers, we will ensure increased hospital capacity through a centralized referral system and expanded hours over evenings and weekends and so, will provide expanded support for cancer screening and treatment. I am committed to improving and expanding cancer screening, with a focus on hard-to-reach communities.
In order to improve access to lung cancer screening, we will ensure needed hospital projects and expansions in Brampton, Niagara Falls, Windsor-Essex and Kitchener get shovels in the ground without sacrificing needed health services in surrounding communities. We will immediately begin work on new hospital projects in Brampton, Scarborough and Sioux Lookout. The Ontario NDP and I are also committed to hiring 300+ doctors and 100+ specialists in Northern Ontario and increasing residency positions at NOSM University. It is a priority for us that we improve access to cancer care for all.
Ontarians who need cancer care, their families, and survivors of cancer deserve reliable, accessible, and high-quality healthcare. As Scarborough-Guildwood’s next MPP, I will dedicate my work to providing Ontarians with the support they need.
Sincerely,
VERONICA JAVIER
Scarborough-Guildwood NDP Candidate