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HAMILTON, Ontario, Sept. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The United Steelworkers union (USW) strongly condemns the misleading statements made by Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons earlier this week, falsely accusing the NDP of attempting to undermine union-negotiated drug plans as part of their push for a universal Pharmacare program.

“Pierre Poilievre is spreading misinformation about how universal pharmacare would impact union members,” said Ron Wells, President of USW Local 1005 at Stelco. “The idea that the NDP would ban our hard-fought drug plans is ridiculous. A national pharmacare program would lift a burden off our members and families at the bargaining table, allowing us to divert bargaining dollars for better wages and pensions and negotiate fair deals for our members. When it comes to defending our members and their hard-fought benefits, we know who we can count on. When we were locked out over pension and benefits concessions, Jagmeet and other NDP MPs came out to the picket line to support us, but no sign of Poilievre and his conservatives.”

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Pierre Poilievre made this comment last Tuesday, in response to a question from the leader of the New Democratic Party, after his speech on his Conservative motion of non-confidence.

“Poilievre’s comments show that he’s either completely out of touch or he’s choosing to mislead people for political gain,” said Marty Warren, USW National Director. “If we had a pharmacare system that covered the medications we negotiate today, we could focus on other key issues at the bargaining table, like more powerful paychecks, pensions, and workplace conditions.”

“Claiming that the NDP wants to ‘ban’ private drug plans is not only utterly untrue, it’s out of line with reality,” added Warren. “Poilievre can’t just mislead and manipulate Canadians.”

Warren went on to say that a national Pharmacare system would protect union members, like all Canadians, by making sure that every worker in Canada, unionized or not, has access to the medication they need.

The United Steelworkers remain committed to advocating for policies that support workers and their families, and a national pharmacare program would give Canadians peace of mind knowing they won’t have to choose between their health and their paycheque.

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About the United Steelworkers union

The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

For more information, please contact:
François Soucy, USW Communications, fsoucy@usw.ca, 873-355-2841

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