OTTAWA—Public health care is a priority worth fighting for—and possibly the top priority for Canadians in the upcoming federal election, concludes a report released this week by CUPE and the Council of Canadians.

The report on the joint Health Accord Campaign is the result of a 15-month consultation in 15 communities, most of them targeted ridings narrowly won by the Conservatives in 2011. The campaign featured thousands of conversations in which Canadians shared their thoughts on how to protect, strengthen and expand the country’s most cherished social program, Medicare.

VANCOUVER—CUPE’s Community Health bargaining committee is recommending rejection of the tentative agreement reached with the Liberal government and the BCGEU last week.

The tentative agreement offers no general wage increases for two years and trades off hard-won existing benefits for new benefits.