Regardless of the party in power in Ottawa, Quebec has historically found it advantageous for the federal government to be in a minority in the House of Commons.
In the 1960s, the government of Lester B. Pearson made concessions that have never been equaled since: transfer of tax points, withdrawal from the Canada Pension Plan, unprecedented access to the international scene, etc. .
During the first decade of the 21st centurye century, that of Paul Martin agreed to introduce the principle of asymmetry between Quebec and the other provinces in the conditions of federal financing of health care. That of Stephen Harper granted him a place within the Canadian delegation to UNESCO and had a motion adopted recognizing the distinct character of the Quebec “nation”.
Justin Trudeau’s government is the exception that proves the rule. Its minority situation did not prevent it from seeking to invade the areas of jurisdiction of Quebec (and other provinces), particularly in matters of health.
However, this is the first time that a federal government has encroached on provincial jurisdiction precisely because it is in the minority. If it were not for the need to maintain the support of the New Democratic Party, without which the Trudeau government would risk being overthrown, the new dental insurance program, the terms of which were announced on Monday would undoubtedly not have seen the light of day. day.
Unsurprisingly, while the federal Minister of Health, Mark Holland, presented the new program concocted by Ottawa as the eighth wonder of the world to the applause of his NDP counterpart Don Davies, the Quebec minister responsible for Canadian Relations, Jean-François Roberge , denounced this new intrusion.
As it was able to do in the case of the pan-Canadian childcare program, Quebec would rather like to exercise its right of withdrawal with full financial compensation since it already has its own dental insurance program.
There is, however, a difference. Childcare services subsidized by Quebec are by far the most developed in the country, and Ottawa has not required anything to be added, while the Canadian Dental Care Plan (RCSD) will be significantly more extensive than that which is currently administered by the Régie de l’assurance santé du Québec.
It will cover, in whole or in part, the cost of dental insurance for seniors whose family income is less than $90,000. Those under 18 and people with disabilities will also be eligible. In its current form, the Quebec program only targets those aged 10 and under and social assistance recipients.
The RCSD will come into force by fall 2024 and older students will be invited to register next Monday. This leaves little time to reach an agreement. Of course, Quebec is not the only one to have reservations, but the other provinces and territories ended up coming to an agreement with Ottawa on health care funding, even if all had declared its offer unacceptable.
There is always something vicious in the way the federal government uses its “spending power”, which is not provided for in the Constitution, but which Ottawa nevertheless has the capacity to impose thanks to the financial means with which it has.
The provinces rightly want to protect their jurisdictions, but taxpayers just as legitimately want to receive the broadest possible services. Whether the check is signed in Ottawa, Quebec or Toronto, the money always comes from their pocket. Whoever creates problems, even if he is within his rights, must bear the odium.
Not only does the new regime constitute a gross encroachment on a field of provincial jurisdiction, but Jean-François Roberge also argued that the financial contribution of the federal government will not be up to the services it claims to offer: the provinces will therefore have to make up the difference.
However, experience teaches that Ottawa has the unfortunate tendency to gradually disengage from the services it creates and leave the burden to the provinces. Initially, the cost of health services was shared 50/50, but the federal contribution is now less than a quarter. We can therefore understand that Quebec keeps a grudge against Ottawa.
The Legault government says it is ready to expand the dental services it currently offers, and is asking that Ottawa instead increase the Canada Health Transfer. This would still have to translate into an equivalent level of services — which is not guaranteed, since Quebec believes that it has no accountability.
The president of the Association of Dental Surgeons of Quebec, Dr Carl Tremblay, “prefers to have a well-established program at the federal level, rather than sending a blank check to the provincial government, not knowing what it will do with the money and what proportion it will reinvest in dental care.” A distrust that is not unfounded.