Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says provincial health ministers refused to discuss a plan proposed by Ottawa when they recently met with their federal counterpart, Jean-Yves Duclos.
“Unfortunately, the provinces have decided not to engage and discuss this plan, but we remain here to be partners,” Mr. Trudeau dropped Tuesday, before going to the weekly meeting of his council. ministers.
The Prime Minister was then challenged, in a scrum, on the congestion in several pediatric hospitals, across the country, and the stumbling block in discussions about health transfers.
After saying he was “tremendously” worried about health systems and “particularly [pour] the children”, he returned to the meeting of the beginning of November having taken place in Vancouver between Mr. Duclos and his vis-à-vis.
“When the health ministers met a few weeks ago, there was a plan to increase human resources, to help people meet urgent needs,” he offered as a description of the march. to follow which was proposed, according to him, by the federal government.
The provinces and territories have been asking Ottawa for several years for a recurring increase in health transfers. They want the federal contribution to increase to cover 35% of health costs, a provincial jurisdiction.
The Trudeau government says it is open to advancing more money, but also insists on the results that Canadians expect, its representatives have been publicly repeating for months.
The Quebec government of François Legault has been insisting since the beginning of the common front with the provinces and territories that the money from Ottawa must be paid unconditionally.