The 13 provincial and territorial premiers and their counterpart Justin Trudeau will sit around the same table Tuesday in Ottawa in hopes of finding a path to a new long-term health care funding deal.
Premiers approach the talks with an open mind and a willingness to sign individual deals with Ottawa to secure more money.
British Columbia Premier David Eby says these bilateral agreements will be an important part of the negotiations, but the main goal is to provide Canadians with the health care to which they are entitled.
For more than two years, the premiers of the provinces and territories have been asking Mr. Trudeau to sit down with them to discuss an increase in the Canada Health Transfer.
In their 2022-2023 budgets, the provinces plan to spend a combined $203.7 billion on health care. The transfer from Ottawa represents 22% of that amount, but the provinces want that percentage to increase to 35%, or $26 billion more this year alone.
A senior government official familiar with the federal plan told The Canadian Press that Mr. Trudeau would present a 10-year offer on Tuesday and that he would offer the provinces a “substantial” increase in the Canada Health Transfer.
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