Ottawa – The country’s first-ever annual report on privatization concludes that Canadians pay a hefty price when private corporations gain control of public services.

Hostile Takeover: Annual Report on Privatization documents the devastating effects of the government selloff of public services. The CUPE report sounds the alarm bell about quality, safety, access and accountability for Canada’s hospitals, schools and water systems. "Our report lays out the impact of privatization, and it is truly frightening," said CUPE National President Judy Darcy." Much needed services are being eroded, gutted and eliminated. We need to stop privatization in its tracks, before any more damage is done," she emphasized.

"Whether it’s the threat of a private hospital in Calgary, corporations owning and operating schools in Nova Scotia or multinationals controlling our water systems. Canadians are overwhelmingly saying No to Medicare for profit. No to corporate classrooms. No to the destruction of the services we all value so highly. Public Works!"

Recent opinion polls conducts by Vector Research show three quarters of Canadians have grave concerns about privatization. Canadians oppose privatized water supplies by a margin of five to one.

"Our report has a clear message for the governments doing the selling and the corporations doing the buying. Canadians won’t allow their public services to be turned into profit-making ventures for multinationals. The stakes are just too high," said Darcy.