When I graduated from high school a lot of my friends went to work in the oil patch. They started with 6-figure jobs immediately after grade 12. Meanwhile, I started a decades-long educational pursuit that finally ended after significant debts and zero earnings. 1/x https://twitter.com/DavidStaplesYEG/status/1316395297870761985

While I ate ramen and worked/studied 120 hour weeks on surgical wards none of my friends came to me and said “you know, we’re doing well, we want to make sure you are doing well also.” That’s fine-I was doing what I loved and the province certainly steps up to educate.

I kept in touch with my friends on Facebook.They were on their second houses and sported new motorboats and so on. Now things are different: the oil companies still make lots of oil but prices are down and automation is up. Even with new pipelines those jobs ain’t coming back.3/x

Now, while sort-of working in the public sector (we are independent but can only accept work and payment from the province) I’m told that it’s greedy and irresponsible to ask for more $ while the private sector is struggling. 4/x

And I agree! That’s why MDs aren’t asking for more $, and have in fact offered significant cuts. But I run a business now, and a pretty big one actually. We need cost certainty and an agreement with the province that is binding. We’ve done our part in the offering. 5/x #AbLeg

But we’re sick of being painted as greedy for things we haven’t said and things we haven’t done.I can go anywhere now, and find work and a government that doesn’t belittle me for existing.I haven’t because I won’t abandon my patients, but we all have a breaking point. 6/x #AbLeg

1. Don’t call us greedy.
2. We’re trying to help.
3. It doesn’t help the economy for everyone to suffer simply because the private sector does: O&G workers didn’t get laid off because the laundry workers at your local hospital made 1-2$ per hour more than if they were privatized.

This government only knows how to rule by division and by a chipping away of the empathy that we should have for each other: their only card is to find an enemy and rally people against it. I reject that.

I urge the UCP to reconsider how it’s running this province. 8/x #AbLeg

So, when you see the UCP government claim that we need austerity due to these dire times, remember: physicians have agreed to do their part. But many others are being hurt by that. They’re no longer buying houses or frequenting businesses. This doesn’t help. 9/x #AbLeg

This is the UCP callousness in absolutely destroying provincial finances(lots of damage pre-covid, by the way)and then using that as a smokescreen to sell everything not bolted down to private interests. Parks,health,you name it.

Say “no” and don’t forget your empathy. #AbLeg
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