BC NDP Leader David Eby said he would expand training and offer tuition, loan forgiveness and other incentives for health-care workers choosing underserved rural work ahead of the Oct. 24 election.
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BC NDP Leader David Eby campaigned in Surrey on Friday at the site of a new medical school, outlining health-care commitments that include training for international medical graduates and support for workers heading to rural communities.
Eby said the medical school would offer “bridging to practice” training for qualified foreign graduates already living in B.C. who are unable to practise family medicine because of a lack of residency spots. He said the program would be the first of its kind in Canada and added that he hoped other provinces would follow suit.
As part of the NDP’s health platform, Eby also promised discounted tuition and loan forgiveness for health-care workers willing to work in underserved rural areas, along with moving expenses for those workers.
Eby said an NDP government would provide incentives for doctors to offer same-day appointments as well as evening and weekend care. He also said the party would add 1,000 training seats for nurses, nurse practitioners, allied health workers and care aides, and would build 20 additional primary care clinics across the province.
Eby also addressed Thursday’s removal of Conservative candidate Joachim Agou from the B.C. Conservative slate for the Oct. 24 election, after the NDP said Agou made racist online posts. Agou said in a social media post that he was “truly sorry,” took responsibility for his words, and rejected accusations of racism.
In his posts, Agou said a car that drove through a pro-Palestine protest “should have reversed” over demonstrators, and he shared a meme that used an expletive to describe Pakistan. Eby said the comments were “a continuation of embarrassing conduct by Conservative candidates,” adding, “It is disgrace that the Conservative Party continues to put forward candidates like this. They have not changed.”
Eby said the Conservatives “tried to sneak this candidate past British Columbians but they got caught.” Interim Conservative Party leader Lorne Doerkson said Thursday the posts were inexcusable and that if Agou was elected on Oct. 24, he would not be part of the Conservative caucus.
Agou said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he should have expressed himself “more clearly and calmly,” and that demonstrations “should not bring a city to a standstill or put lives at risk.” He said he understood why the Conservatives withdrew their support and said he would run as an independent in the riding described as an NDP stronghold.
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