'At your side, on your side,' more than just a slogan: President Heather Smith

Heather Smith, acclaimed to a new two-year term as president of the United Nurses of Alberta, opened the union's 2012 annual general meeting this morning with the reminder that "'at your side and on your side' is not just a slogan, it is who we are and what we do."

"Every day our actions speak volumes about our intent and interest, not just in nursing but in working for all Albertans,” Smith told the approximately 775 people in the hall at Edmonton's Northlands Expo Centre for the first day of UNA's 35th AGM.

"Now 25,000 members strong, there is no question that we speak for working nurses in this province,” stated Smith, who was first elected as UNA president in 1988.

In the 35 years since UNA was founded, she noted, a lot has changed for Alberta nurses, mostly for the better. But today, with right-wing governments and lobbyists in the driver's seat in government, UNA in many ways faces similar challenges to those it faced after its inception in 1977, Smith warned.

"Looking back at the distance we have travelled reminds us of the sacrifices we had to make individually and organizationally to get where we are today,” she said. "What do we need to do to meet the challenges of today, in a very anti-public-sector, anti-union environment, not just to ensure we do not go back, but that we go forward as nurses, as a union and as citizens?”

"We have big goals ahead of us,” Smith told AGM the 450 delegates, guests and staff at the AGM, "but big goals have never deterred us.

"Given the right-wing … political environment, provincially and nationally, and in the context of government restraint, we expect to face bargaining challenges we may not have experienced since 1988,” Smith said, adding that UNA will also know soon if Alberta Health Services' "scheduling optimization” plans can be resolved with respect for nurses and their negotiated collective agreement.

"Our goals include vision, not just dreams, and a mission,” she said. "We envision expanded public medicare, inclusive of pharmacare and a national long-term care program.

"We want a federal government that works with the provinces and negotiates a Health Accord that is about more than just money.

"We want a federal government that is committed to real health and high-quality health care from coast to coast to coast, that also means addressing the determinants of health of all Canadian,” Smith said.

"We envisage a future with real health workforce planning, a future where nurses continue to touch patients and not just to think about their care,” she added to cheers.

"I have been proud to represent this membership during the past year,” Smith concluded. "I am honoured to be entrusted to do so for two more years.”