Today Alan Linkletter sent a letter to Premier Houston calling on this conservative government to stop ignoring the hardworking long term care workers of this province and offer them a fair deal instead of lining the pockets of private companies. See the full letter below:
Dear Premier Houston:
Since 2023, long term care workers across the province have been working day in and out with an expired collective agreement that has caused their wages to stagnate despite the pressure caused by chronic understaffing, an aging population, and increasingly complex medical needs. The fact that these vital workers are the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada just adds insult to injury.
Why, during the pandemic, did the government herald health care workers as heroes only to abandon them when it was no longer politically beneficial?
This question isn’t new, of course, health care unions have been asking the government to put their money where their mouth is for years, even before the pandemic made these jobs all the more critical. The answer, or rather excuse, is always the same. The government can’t afford it; we’re building new beds and health care facilities; the budget is stretched thin. My question is this:
Why is there always enough money for government to pay millions in contracts with private companies if they can’t afford to offer more to health care workers?
Who is going to take care of the people in those new beds and facilities if workers continue to leave the sector in droves?
Where has the government found the millions of out of budget spending if it’s stretched so thin?
But, sure, the government is struggling with money now. The population boom that led to an increase in taxes and lined the government’s pockets these past several years has come to an end.
Maybe that’s why as we approach budget time again, you, Premier Houston, are already preaching about the necessity of saving money, laying the groundwork for an austerity budget and cutting public sector jobs.
I can’t help but notice that austerity always seems to be directed at public services and jobs. It’s the public services that are expected to do more with less; it’s the public workers who are expected to suck it up and take the low wages. So, let me ask:
Why did you, Premier Houston, not consider the benefit of saving money when your government handed over a $1.9 million untendered contract to your friends at Enterprise Canada?
Was austerity top of your mind when you spent over $80,000 of Nova Scotians’ hard-earned tax money on 104 days of travel in 2025 alone?
Were the struggles of everyday Nova Scotians and the impending deficit a consideration when you paid your personal friends $1,500 per day for their work with Build Nova Scotia?
Was spending wisely the motivation to spend $2.7 billion untendered dollars for Shannex, a private company, to run what could have been a publicly owned and operated transitional health facility?
It’s hard to take the government’s argument seriously when time and time again, this government has shown their willingness to spend money on private companies and personal friends. The issue isn’t the budget, or how much money the government has, it’s this government’s refusal to spend money on public services. It’s your refusal to support the hard-working members of the public service who dedicate their lives to the jobs this government can’t seem to bring itself to care about.
This letter was prompted by the ongoing struggle of long term care workers across this province, but they’re not the only ones suffering from this government’s consistent refusal to properly fund the public sector. Last year, we saw CUPE education workers stand up and demand more. This spring, we’re going to see CUPE long term care workers do the same. They’re understaffed and underpaid; they’re burnt out and leaving the sector; and, most importantly, they’re fed up. Soon, we could see thousands of long term care workers hit the picket line. That’s the reality.
Is that something you’re comfortable with, Premier Houston?
Respectfully,
Alan Linkletter
President, CUPE Nova Scotia