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Back off on the government advertising, says Gélinas

NDP opposition health critic slams provincial advertising efforts saying more money needs to be spent to keep health facilities open
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Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas.

Nickel Belt MPP and NDP health critic France Gélinas believes the Ontario government needs to promote itself less and do more for the people.

Gélinas was speaking out in the Ontario Legislature on Monday when she said the province is spending far too much money on advertising at a time when many health care facilities are struggling to stay open.

“This government spent over $100 million of taxpayer money on advertising to try to convince us that things have never been better in Ontario. Meanwhile, 2024 was the worst year on record for ER closures; food bank usage and homelessness are at record high; and 2.5 million Ontarians do not have a family physician,” said Gélinas. 

“Ontario’s taxpayers want health care, not partisan advertising," she added. 

Gélinas also said that the health care system is struggling to find new people because of the shortage of doctors and nurses.

Gélinas asked the government to explain how $100 million spent on advertising was a better investment than spending the same amount for health care.

Anthony Leardi, the parliamentary assistant to the minister of health, responded to Gélinas, saying it was the previous Liberal government that "starved" the ministry of health budget, but in contrast, the current Conservative government is investing a record amount of money in the public health care system. 

Leardi said Ontario has increased $60 billion worth of health spending in 2018 to $85 billion in health spending in 2024. He said the Conservatives have also spent $44 million to reduce emergency room wait times, along with a $10 million fund to assist nurses with upskilling for emergency department procedures.

Gélinas responded to Leardi that health care organizations have come to Queen's Park many times in 2024 to advise that the system is failing, unlike the picture being portrayed in government advertising.

“Just last week, more than a dozen health-care organizations came to Queen’s Park to tell the government that our health-care system is in crisis. What we heard from them stands in stark contrast to what the government’s ads want us to believe,” she said.

“But the government can’t fool the public about health care. Ontarians know they are being left unable to access an emergency room when they need it, we know we are unable to find a family doctor or get mental health services for their child," said Gélinas. 

Leardi responded to Gélinas that the province remains focussed on "patient-centred and team based care" throughout Ontario.

He said Ontario leads all other provinces in connecting patients to primary care with roughly 90 per cent of all residents connected to primary care. He said one of the ways Ontario is doing this is by having more internationally trained doctors enter the Ontario system.

Leardi said an additional four physicians with international training are in the process of setting up practice in Sudbury, which Leardi said could provide primary care to as many as 4,800 area residents.



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