What is democracy: freedom of expression versus casting today's ballot

What is democracy:
freedom of expression versus casting today's ballot

Nipawin - October 26, 2000 - by: Mario deSantis

gradually eroding
In the article "Royal University Hospital: $7.5 million blunder and nobody is accountable" I

reiterated that our health care system has been gradually eroding because of our Tin Pot

Dictators, that is because of lack of democracy, because as Barber Abel has said "nobody is

accountable." Today, our Tin Pot Dictators are retrenching, they are busy trying to shift

the blame for a messy health care system⁽¹⁾, and unable to do anything they are beginning

to listen to the workers.

question the management
Times are changing, until this week, health workers were not allowed to speak out about

their concerns for the state of health care and for the safety of their own patients. Health

workers were not able to express their voice because their collective agreements prohibit

them to question the management of health care; you know, health workers are just front

line workers and they cannot have the overall picture of the management of health care.

muzzle
Ten months ago, as Karen Ponto, a Saskatoon nurse, expressed publicly her concerns that

patients were at risk, she received immediately a letter from a lawyer asking for clarifications

of her statements and she retorted "If they think that a lawyer is going to muzzle me or any

of the nurses... they're sadly mistaken⁽²⁾." Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has confirmed that

we will be going to the urn on November 27 to express our democratic will. And I say, what

kind of democratic will we can express when the country is divided, when this government is

accused of being dishonest⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ and secretive⁽⁵⁾, when our own Supreme Court is telling

our police forces across the country to lie, cheat, mislead to get a confession⁽⁶⁾.

intimidated
As I said in a previous article, democracy is not voting or belonging to a party⁽⁷⁾. Today,

democracy is in our own hands, in our own opportunities to speak out our frustrations and

looking for changes; and all of a sudden we are doing it; here on page D4 of the StarPhoenix

dated October 21/2000 I find some 10 (ten) open letters written by Royal University Hospital

health workers. And these health workers are not going to be reprimanded by their employer

because they didn't comply with their collective agreements, and these health workers are not

going to be intimidated by their employer's lawyers either. This is democracy, and casting a

ballot on November 27 is not democracy for sure!

---------References/Endnotes:

List of articles by Mario deSantis

1.
-
Urgent to stem specialist exit, SP Opinions, October 21, 2000, StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2.
-
Intimidation: Management style at Saskatoon District Health, by Mario deSantis, January 27, 2000

3.
-
-
Wanted: Government you can trust, "My report this week was highly critical of government excesses, but the root of the problem goes far deeper, writes Auditor-General DENIS DESAUTELS." October 20, 2000, Commentary, The Globe and Mail

4.
October 2000 Report of the Auditor General of Canada

5.
-
-
Shhhh! Tell me no secrets, "When the Information Commissioner blasted the Chrétien government this week for excessive secrecy, he was only telling part of the story", says crusader KEN RUBIN, October 20, 2000, The Globe and Mail

6.
-
Supreme injustice: The Supreme Court just said it's fine to use threats and lies to get confessions, by Clayton Ruby, October 17, 2000, The Globe and Mail

7.
-
Royal University Hospital: $7.5 million blunder and nobody is accountable, by Mario deSantis, October 20, 2000

What is democracy: freedom of expression versus casting today's ballot

Nipawin - October 26, 2000 - by: Mario deSantis

gradually eroding	In the article "Royal University Hospital: $7.5 million blunder and nobody is accountable" I
	reiterated that our health care system has been gradually eroding because of our Tin Pot
	Dictators, that is because of lack of democracy, because as Barber Abel has said "nobody is
	accountable." Today, our Tin Pot Dictators are retrenching, they are busy trying to shift
	the blame for a messy health care system⁽¹⁾, and unable to do anything they are beginning
	to listen to the workers.

question the management	Times are changing, until this week, health workers were not allowed to speak out about
	their concerns for the state of health care and for the safety of their own patients. Health
	workers were not able to express their voice because their collective agreements prohibit
	them to question the management of health care; you know, health workers are just front
	line workers and they cannot have the overall picture of the management of health care.

*muzzle*	Ten months ago, as Karen Ponto, a Saskatoon nurse, expressed publicly her concerns that
	patients were at risk, she received immediately a letter from a lawyer asking for clarifications
	of her statements and she retorted "If they think that a lawyer is going to muzzle me or any
	of the nurses... they're sadly mistaken⁽²⁾." Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has confirmed that
	we will be going to the urn on November 27 to express our democratic will. And I say, what
	kind of democratic will we can express when the country is divided, when this government is
	accused of being dishonest⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ and secretive⁽⁵⁾, when our own Supreme Court is telling
	our police forces across the country to lie, cheat, mislead to get a confession⁽⁶⁾.

intimidated	As I said in a previous article, democracy is not voting or belonging to a party⁽⁷⁾. Today,
	democracy is in our own hands, in our own opportunities to speak out our frustrations and
	looking for changes; and all of a sudden we are doing it; here on page D4 of the StarPhoenix
	dated October 21/2000 I find some 10 (ten) open letters written by Royal University Hospital
	health workers. And these health workers are not going to be reprimanded by their employer
	because they didn't comply with their collective agreements, and these health workers are not
	going to be intimidated by their employer's lawyers either. This is democracy, and casting a
	ballot on November 27 is not democracy for sure!

---------References/Endnotes:

	List of articles by Mario deSantis

1. -	Urgent to stem specialist exit, SP Opinions, October 21, 2000, StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2. -	Intimidation: Management style at Saskatoon District Health, by Mario deSantis, January 27, 2000

3. - -	Wanted: Government you can trust, "My report this week was highly critical of government excesses, but the root of the problem goes far deeper, writes Auditor-General DENIS DESAUTELS." October 20, 2000, Commentary, The Globe and Mail

4.	October 2000 Report of the Auditor General of Canada

5. - -	Shhhh! Tell me no secrets, "When the Information Commissioner blasted the Chrétien government this week for excessive secrecy, he was only telling part of the story", says crusader KEN RUBIN, October 20, 2000, The Globe and Mail

6. -	Supreme injustice: The Supreme Court just said it's fine to use threats and lies to get confessions, by Clayton Ruby, October 17, 2000, The Globe and Mail

7. -	Royal University Hospital: $7.5 million blunder and nobody is accountable, by Mario deSantis, October 20, 2000