“PMs Gather to Discuss Trudeau’s Bold Plan to Secure Long-Term Health Care Funding”
OTTAWA — Canada’s health care system isn’t performing as well as it should and that needs to change, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday as he prepared to meet with ministers to work on a new health care funding deal.
Heading into the cabinet meeting he will chair before his afternoon talks with the prime ministers, Trudeau said the federal government would be “investing significantly” to update the system. He plans to show the Prime Ministers the offer Ottawa is willing to make when he meets with them in Ottawa today.
Canadians are proud of the public health system in this country, he said, but it needs work.
“We all have to recognize that it hasn’t reached the level that Canadians would expect,” he said.
“We will top up with even more funds.”
The provinces budgeted about $204 billion for health care this fiscal year, and Canada’s health transfer was set at $45 billion, or about 22 percent of that. The prime ministers want to increase the federal share to 35 percent.
A senior federal official with knowledge of the federal offer said there will be both a larger transfer increase and offers of more money for one-for-one deals to meet the province’s individual needs and Ottawa’s priorities.
On Tuesday, Trudeau listed sourcing more GPs, shorter waiting lists, helping recruit and reskill workers, and improving mental health care as some of those potential areas.
The federal government also insists that provinces agree to overhaul how their healthcare systems collect data so that patients’ medical records are more complete and accessible across provinces and to multiple healthcare professionals, and governments can better understand where problems exist.
The Premiers have been in Ottawa since Monday, meeting alone at a downtown hotel and seeking a united front when they sit down with Trudeau. They said they are going into the talks with an open mind, no red line and ready to sign one-to-one agreements with Ottawa for more money.
British Columbia Premier David Eby says bilateral deals will be a big part of the negotiations but the main goal is to get Canadians the health care they deserve.
Canada’s healthcare transfer is currently projected to grow to $49.4 billion from 2023-2024, up nine percent from this year, or twice the average annual increase over the past six years.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 7, 2023.
Mia Rabson and Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
