CUPE Alberta is calling on the provincial government to declare a state of emergency in the healthcare system, saying years of underfunding have pushed hospitals to a breaking point.
Raj Uppal, president of CUPE Alberta, said the union launched a new awareness campaign this week urging the government to formally recognize the crisis. The campaign includes a website and a mass email effort that has generated thousands of messages from Albertans sharing their experiences with the healthcare system.
“We understand that the state of emergency won’t solve all the problems in health care, but it will help,” Uppal said. “It starts with recognition of what’s broken so that we can work on it.”
Uppal said declaring a state of emergency under Alberta’s health legislation would allow the government to temporarily centralize authority, mobilize resources more quickly and implement emergency staffing and funding measures. He acknowledged it would not immediately create new beds or staff but said it would allow faster action than the current approach.
The call comes amid ongoing concerns about hospital capacity, staffing shortages and patient wait times. Uppal said the system is now in crisis, pointing to what he described as six preventable deaths reported earlier this year.
Uppal said healthcare funding has not kept pace with inflation since the United Conservative Party formed government in 2019, adding that doctors and front-line workers have been raising alarms internally for years.
CUPE Alberta said pressure for action is coming directly from its members, many of whom work in hospitals and also rely on the healthcare system.
“We all care about our patients, and we’re crushed not to be able to give the best care possible,” Uppal said.
He also pointed to the cancellation of a planned hospital in southwest Edmonton as a missed opportunity to relieve pressure on existing facilities.
Uppal said CUPE Alberta has reached out to the minister of health to discuss its concerns but has not received a response. The Alberta government has not commented publicly on the campaign or on calls for a state of emergency.
mylethbridgenow.com reached out to Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Matt Jones for comment, but have not heard back at the time of this publication.
