ANITA BARDAL
2007 NOMINEE FOR
HSA PRESIDENT

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE STATEMENT

Fellow HSA Members,

I am Anita Bardal and I am candidate for President of Health Sciences Association of British Columbia.

This HSA election is important for all of us. Who we select as our next president will reflect the new face of our union and the direction we take for our HSA future.

Like you, I am passionate about my chosen health care profession – I am a Medical Radiation Technologist, Angiography discipline. I also serve as Radiation Safety Officer for Providence Healthcare, working collaboratively with other regional RSOs, to provide education and support with regards to radiation issues. I have been an HSA member since 1983, and proud to be part of such a democratic and diverse union. We are over 14,000 HSA members, each one of us equally proud of our contribution and dedication to the whole picture of healthcare. We work in both public and private facilities. While we represent over 100 different health disciplines, together, we are united as one voice through our union, Health Sciences Association. HSA is what make us strong.

I have been involved in Job Actions since 1986. In each Job Action, we voiced our commitment to good patient care. At the same time, we demonstrated together, that we wanted contracts that recognized the value of our HSA professions.

I have been Chief Steward at St.Paul’s Hospital since 2001, serving over 900 members. As a tertiary care and downtown hospital, our health professions are wide and varied and I’ve been able to get to know each one. As Chief Steward, I’ve dealt with many issues: hospital closure, departments re-structuring, workload, layoffs, labour shortages, illness, violence, conflicts, OHS, workplace deficits affecting practice, re-classifications, LTD, Essential Services negotiations and strike co-ordination. My approach is to deal with issues with commitment, professionalism, diplomacy, integrity, and fairness.

I encourage collaborative team building among members. I have been able to accomplish this by diplomatically providing impartial leadership, while maintaining a critical view of the validity of each profession’s concerns. I commit to traveling and meeting the rural membership to hear their concerns. Our HSA Education Department has provided many excellent courses to members, and I believe in continuing this, with input from you as to what your needs are. My goal is a stronger, more united membership of HSA.

As HSA President, I will work to meet with government officials to press our concerns on labour shortages, retention, recruitment… and present our ideas for solutions. I will represent HSA, while collectively working with other unions, and groups, in the larger arena.

I am running for President because we, as HSA, need to continue as a strong union. I want to build on the foundation and accomplishments that Cindy Stewart has established. The potential continues to be there to make a difference, not only in our own healthcare professions, but also in the broader healthcare picture. We are well-positioned as a talented and diverse group – yet united as HSA members – to make a meaningful contribution. My commitment is to provide the focus, leadership and dedication needed to make HSA BC’s strongest healthcare union.

Vote for me, Anita Bardal, and I will work with you, and for you to build on HSA’s success for the future.