(Ottawa) One week before their meeting with Justin Trudeau, the premiers of the provinces and territories persist and sign: Ottawa must imperatively increase health transfers in such a way as to defray 35% of the cost of the bill.
In a statement issued Monday morning by the Council of the Federation, the premiers would like to inform the federal government that the common front of the provinces and territories on this delicate issue is still holding up.
According to provincial calculations, Ottawa currently pays 22% of the health care bill. To reach 35%, an annual injection of $28 billion into the health networks would be needed. The Trudeau government has already rejected this request.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he had called his counterparts to “a working meeting” in Ottawa on February 7 to discuss this issue, which has been a source of friction between the federal government and the provinces for several months.
A proposal will be submitted to the premiers of the provinces and territories during this meeting.
“While no federal proposals have yet been forwarded to the Premiers of the provinces and territories, this meeting will mark the beginning of a direct dialogue between the Premiers and the work required to achieve the important investments and concrete advances that Canadians have been waiting for this top priority for a long time,” the Council of the Federation statement said.
“The sustainability of our health systems requires a strong and predictable financial partnership with the federal government, now and for the long term. The Premiers of the provinces and territories are eager to obtain, as soon as possible, the initial and substantial proposals of the federal government and to initiate constructive discussions with Prime Minister Trudeau,” said the Premier of Manitoba, Heather Stefanson, who is chairing the Council of the Federation this year.
Last week, Justin Trudeau let it be known that he did not expect to “sign” a formal agreement with his provincial counterparts as early as February 7.
“It’s not to sign [une entente]. It’s a working meeting where we will present our vision to allow us to move forward together. […]. We should be able to conclude good agreements in the coming weeks, ”said the Prime Minister.
The agreement that Ottawa wishes to conclude would be for a period of 10 years. However, this agreement would be reassessed after five years to take demographic changes into account and adjust the amounts if necessary.
At the same time, Ottawa intends to sign bilateral agreements with each of the provinces to take their needs into account. Some provinces could thus use this money for their respective health care priorities, such as mental health, primary care, or even tackle the surgical waiting list more quickly, according to information obtained by The Press.