Federal Health Minister Mark Holland will take part in meetings with his provincial and territorial counterparts starting Wednesday in Charlottetown to discuss, among other things, the increase in health personnel.
Minister Holland notes that the priority is to attract new workers into the system and retain those already there. “We must examine our foreign diplomas as well as obtaining pan-Canadian professional licenses,” he declared Tuesday during a press conference held in British Columbia.
Ministers will also discuss improving the integration of health data across provinces, a condition of the health accord that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed to his counterparts in February.
The meeting in Prince Edward Island comes a day after British Columbia signed the first bilateral funding agreement with Ottawa.
The Trudeau government has offered $196 billion to provinces and territories over the next ten years to improve access to health care. This funding includes increases to the federal health transfer and individual agreements tailored to target the specific needs of different jurisdictions.
In return, prime ministers must promise to improve data sharing and empirically measure their progress toward meeting set goals and targets.
All provinces and territories have accepted the health accord in principle, except Quebec, which has been reluctant to report to Ottawa how the money is spent. Nevertheless, Minister Holland has always expressed optimism about the federal government’s ability to reach an agreement with the last recalcitrant province.
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) says the health crisis that prompted the government to propose new health deals in February has worsened in some regions of the country, although there are areas of improvement. The president of the AMC, the DD Kathleen Ross, plans to host a reception for ministers to discuss how to solve the health human resources problem.
Meanwhile, the federal government is working on two major programs under the supply and confidence agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP) that could impact health care delivery in the provinces.
Minister Holland has promised to table a pharmacare bill before the end of the year that will pave the way for a national pharmacare plan that will likely be administered by the provinces. Such a regime has existed in Quebec for many years.
The government will also unveil plans this fall for a dental insurance plan that will eventually provide coverage to low- and middle-income families who are not privately insured. Ottawa has not yet clarified how this plan would integrate with existing provincial dental plans for low-income people.
Health ministers are expected to hold a news conference at the end of their two-day meeting in Charlottetown.