Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced on Monday more than $221 million in funding aimed, among other things, at improving infection prevention and control in long-term care centers in Quebec.
Updated yesterday at 3:54 p.m.
This money stems from an agreement that has just been reached with the government of François Legault so that it has its share of a billion dollar envelope provided for in the fall 2020 economic statement for the all provinces and territories, said Mr. Duclos at a press briefing in Montreal.
No representative of the Quebec government was present alongside the federal minister for his announcement made in the Montreal-North district in the company of speakers from the Sainte-Colette Golden Age Club.
“They were invited to come. Obviously we don’t control the minister’s agenda [de la Santé Christian] Dubé or other ministers of the Quebec government,” said Mr. Duclos when asked to explain this absence.
He assured that he had “very regular contact” with his counterpart in Quebec on a range of issues relating to health care.
In a joint statement sent by email, the offices of Minister Dubé and his colleague Marguerite Blais, responsible for the Elders, maintained that they were analyzing the amounts announced.
“We reiterate through the band that it is essential to receive this money unconditionally. It is up to Quebec to manage the health network, ”we can read there.
Asked to clarify whether the targeted investment of 221 million was equivalent to financing with conditions, Mr. Duclos did not directly answer the question.
He argued that Monday’s announcement is part of the relationship between the federal government and Quebec, which is based on respect for the fact that health is a provincial jurisdiction, but also on the principles of “shared responsibility” and of “results”.
“The Canadian government can never claim that it can best manage CHSLDs,” he said.
The investment presented on Monday should make it possible to “better support infection prevention and control teams, train more than 15,000 people [en la matière]train nearly 10,000 officers who will ensure the implementation and maintenance of health and safety practices for seniors,” said the Minister.
He also mentioned that the investment could be used to upgrade ventilation systems as well as to ensure screening and the supply of personal protective equipment.
In their joint statement, the teams of Mr. Dubé and Mme Blais reiterated the longstanding demand for increased health transfers.
Like the other provinces and territories, Quebec is demanding that Ottawa’s contribution to cover costs be increased from 22% to 35%.
“It is by increasing federal health transfers that Ottawa can help us and not by playing in our jurisdictions, in particular with targeted funds”, we hammered.
Mr. Duclos has not given any indication of when the federal government will agree to concretely discuss this request.
The federal minister contented himself with highlighting the already planned increase in these federal transfers over the next four years, as well as the targeted investments previously announced by the federal government, such as $2 billion to help the provinces tackle the delays accumulated during the pandemic in surgical procedures.