Premiers accept federal government’s proposal for new health funding
Ottawa: Canada’s premiers have made up their mind to formally accept the federal government’s multi-billion dollar financial assistance for health care funding. But the premiers say they want the funds to continue for more than 10 years.
In this new deal, Ottawa has decided to donate $ 46 billion over a decade to the provinces for health care. The provinces will receive this amount on meeting certain conditions such as where this amount will be spent and the provinces will also have to explain how this amount improved the health care system.
The premiers say the amount announced at their meeting with the federal government last week is nowhere close to the amount they asked for. But the premiers also say that what is getting cannot be reversed.
“We have decided to accept federal funding,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said in an interview after a virtual meeting by all premiers on Monday afternoon. We think this is a step in the right direction.
Stefanson said the amount would not be enough for the challenges faced by all provinces and territories regarding healthcare funding. Stephenson is currently the chair of the Group of Premiers, also known as the Council of the Federation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposal last week will provide $2 billion free for Canada health transfers, an increase of five percent each year for the next five years, and $25 billion for priority areas such as mental health, data collection, family medicine, surgical backlog and health human resources for the next 10 years.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc have already met with Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador to sign the agreement.
