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MGEU/NUPGE is determined to work with its members and with government to build the responsive, coordinated mental health and addictions treatment system that members on the frontlines have been calling for, and that Manitobans deserve.
Winnipeg (16 May 2018) — On May 14, the government of Manitoba released its long-awaited review of the provinces mental health and addictions services.
MGEU/NUPGE wants to see investment in services, not an exercise in cost-cutting
The review recommends boosting funds for mental health and addictions, and calls for a greater collaboration between primary and community-based treatment services in order to create a “seamless continuum of services.”
The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE) will be following up immediately with government to find out more about how the report’s recommendations may impact MGEU/NUPGE members in both the short- and long-term.
MGEU/NUPGE welcomes the promise of better and more coordinated addiction and mental health services. But, it hopes the government is equally committed to implementing recommendations that call for increased investments in services. rather than a way to save money by amalgamating organizations.
Given this government’s track record, it is hard not to feel concerned about how the report’s recommendations may be interpreted. This has to be about better services, and more support for the people who deliver them, not just another cost-cutting exercise.
Workers who provide mental health and addiction service must have a voice
Stay tuned for an update when there is more information. MGEU/NUPGE will push hard on behalf of hose members who provide mental health and addictions services day-in and day-out to have a voice in determining why and how any report recommendations are implemented. And the union will continue to speak publicly about the profound risks of equating streamlining with cost-cutting.
The report, at long last, is putting mental health and addictions services front and centre. MGEU/NUPGE is determined to work with its members and with government to build the responsive, coordinated mental health and addictions treatment system that members on the frontlines have been calling for, and that Manitobans deserve.