Date: 2005, 2016, 2021
Location: Edmonton
Profile: Heather Smith has served as president of the United Nurses of Alberta since 1988. After graduating as an RN in Ottawa in 1976, she began nursing in Edmonton in 1977, the year UNA members began the first of four province-wide strikes. Her motivation for union activism was patient advocacy. The 1980 UNA strike won nurses Professional Responsibility Committees. Smith joined the first PRC formed at Edmonton General Hospital. In 1983, she became president of her local and joined Friends of Medicare, then campaigning against physician extra-billing. Smith has fought for full government delivery of all healthcare services, including long-term care. A member of every UNA negotiating team since 1984, Smith says the 1988 strike produced few contract improvements but increased union and community solidarity with nurses. That led to significant improvements during 1990 UNA negotiations. Ralph Klein attempted to negate those gains with his campaign to privatize public services. Smith helped to create a civil society coalition to fight Klein’s agenda. Their work defeated Bill 11 and the “Third Way.” But the UCP has revived the privatization agenda. Smith argues that inadequate government responses to the pandemic exhausted healthcare staff who face increasingly aggressive verbal and physical attacks. That threatens Alberta’s ability to retain and recruit healthcare professionals.
Keywords: Bill 11; Edmonton General Hospital; Long-term care; Patient advocacy; Physician extra-billing; Privatization; Professional Responsibility Committees; Ralph Klein; UCP; UNA strikes (1977, 1980, 1982, 1988)
Transcript: Download PDF (2005); Download PDF (2016); Download PDF (2021)
See also: Alberta Federation of Labour; Friends of Medicare; Occupational Health and Safety in Alberta; United Nurses of Alberta; Women and Work in Alberta