(Toronto) Opposition parties in Ontario want the Progressive Conservative government to spend more on health services as emergency rooms are stretched.
Posted at 12:03 p.m.
Premier Doug Ford is in British Columbia this week, where provincial and territorial premiers reiterated their call for the federal government to increase its contribution to health.
But in Ontario, New Democrats and Liberals say the Ford government must also commit to spending more in the province to maintain essential health services.
New Democrats point to a recent report from Ontario’s Fiscal Accountability Office, which found that this province was spending less than others, per capita, on health care.
Interim New Democratic Party Leader Peter Tabuns said the province should spend a “reasonable amount” on health care as emergency rooms announce temporary closures due to staffing shortages and patients face long wait times for services.
The Liberals made a similar call on Tuesday, saying the Ford government should, among other things, devote more resources to recruiting and retaining staff to support Ontario’s health care system.
At the end of the first day of meetings of the Council of the Federation, Monday in Victoria, the premiers of the provinces and territories once again demanded that the federal government increase its health transfers on a recurring and unconditional basis, to make them increase from 22% to 35% of healthcare costs.