Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said his government had worked with the provinces to support the country’s fragile health systems throughout the pandemic, despite claims by provincial premiers to the contrary.
The comments come as provincial and territorial premiers gather in Victoria for a second day of talks, which were dominated on Monday by the health care crisis across the country.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan, who is chairing the Council of the Federation this year, argued Monday that it has now been eight months since the federal government promised to sit down with provincial premiers to develop a strategy. restoration of the health system.
However, in an interview on Tuesday, Minister Duclos has still not proposed a timetable for these negotiations. Previously, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said those discussions would take place once the pandemic had passed.
Duclos said he regularly works with his provincial counterparts on the issue, while adding that Ottawa has transferred billions of dollars to provinces to strengthen the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also recalled that the federal government had already committed to doing more in the long term.
According to Mr. Duclos, the federal government recognizes that all health systems are in crisis, mainly due to a shortage of health care workers, due in particular to the pandemic.
On Monday, the premiers called on the federal government to increase its share of health care funding from 22% to 35%, due to staffing shortages.
Currently, federal health transfers increase based on a three-year moving average of nominal gross domestic product. According to this formula, the transfer payment to the provinces increased by 4.8% in the last federal budget, representing an additional $12 billion expected over the next five years compared to pre-pandemic estimates.