(Toronto) Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s willing to accept some conditions from the federal government if he gives the province more health care funding.
Premiers and health ministers across the country have called for more help through the Canada health transfer.
They want to see Ottawa cover 35% of health care costs across the country, up from 22% currently.
“There always has to be accountability,” Ford said.
“So that’s the least of our problems. Do we want a little flexibility? Yes, and I think they are ready to do so. »
Mr. Ford thinks they will come to an agreement with the federal government.
The premiers previously announced as a group that they wanted no strings attached to the additional funding. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated that increased funding will only happen if provinces agree to reform and improve their health care systems.
The office of federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Wednesday that it was continuing to work with the provinces and territories on a new agreement.
“This is encouraging news,” said spokesperson Marie-France Proulx.
“We know that we still have collaborative work to do to improve health care for all Canadians, and that will continue to be our goal. »
The federal government wants to create a national health data system as a form of accountability that would include data on the provincial health care workforce.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has been particularly outspoken about not agreeing to conditions on health care funding.
He said he was “more optimistic” last month after a meeting with Mr. Trudeau on a health care deal.
The premiers want to sit down as a group with Trudeau to hammer out a deal, but Ford said they are still waiting for a response.
“I called every Prime Minister last week to talk to [M. Trudeau] different issues and we’re going to keep knocking on the door until the Prime Minister can sit down with us,” Ford said.
Increased health care funding was “essential,” he said.
“We cannot continue at this rate without the support of the federal government. »
Children’s hospitals across the country have been overwhelmed with really sick children over the past few months.
In Ontario, several large pediatric hospitals in Ottawa, Toronto and London have had to cancel surgeries in order to redeploy staff to intensive care units and emergency departments.
Last summer and fall, emergency departments across Ontario, in both rural and urban areas, had to close for hours or days at a time due to staff shortages, especially nurses.
The Ontario Medical Association, which represents doctors across the province, said there was a backlog of one million surgeries, in part because of the pandemic.
Mr Ford said they needed more “independent health centres” where surgeons can perform knee replacements, hip replacements and cataract surgeries in a bid to reduce this backlog.
“We need facilities like this to ease the burden on the hospital,” Ford said.
With information from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa