Today’s Supreme Court of Canada’s decision declaring key portions of Gordon Campbell’s anti-union legislation to be unconstitutional is a significant victory for patients, collective bargaining rights, and for the thousands of working women and men Gordon Campbell is treating with such contempt and disdain.

Before the election in 2001, Gordon Campbell told health care workers that he would respect their contracts. That wasn’t the truth. Gordon Campbell introduced Bill 29 in 2002 and, as a result the lives thousands of hard-working British Columbians have been thrown into chaos – the largest single lay-off of female workers in B.C. history.

This is not an issue about the distant past. Public health care continues to suffer from the chaos Gordon Campbell created with Bill 29. In just the last few weeks, an additional 650 care aides were tossed out of work as a result of this now unconstitutional legislation. And once again care for seniors was disrupted as a result.

Today, the Supreme Court of Canada told the Campbell government it was wrong. It said that the B.C. Liberals violated the constitution and the rights of workers. And it said the Campbell government’s confrontational methods are both unnecessary and unconstitutional.

Quality patient care requires proper training, good morale, and decent pay. Gordon Campbell has deliberately and systematically undermined those features of public health care. He’s broken promise after promise, firing workers, closing hospitals, raising MSP fees, and cutting acute and long-term care beds. As a result, patients – particularly senior citizens – have suffered from a lack of care. Waitlists have increased. Hospitals are not as clean. And public frustration is mounting.

The Supreme Court of Canada has told Gordon Campbell that he has a year to change the law before its ruling comes into force. Today, I once again call on Gordon Campbell to rescind Bill 29 in full and to enter in talks with the affected workers about restoring their rights. I also call on the Premier to place an immediate moratorium on health care layoffs and contracting out and to take steps to undo the damage he’s done to patient care in B.C.