Quebec budget | A 5.2 billion health “refoundation” plan

(Quebec) Christian Dubé will count on a kitty of 5.2 billion for his plan to “refound” the health system, undermined by two years of pandemic. Less than a billion will be extended for the next year, while the bulk of the expenditure will be committed after the elections. The operation of seniors’ homes will cost 1.5 billion over five years, also reveals the Girard budget.

Fanny Levesque
The Press

The financial year of the Coalition avenir Québec, the last before the October election, gives a first glimpse of the aims of the Minister of Health and Social Services, who is due to present his “Health Plan” at the end of March.

The word “refoundation” also leaves room for “recovery” of the health system that the government wants to adapt “to the reality of the post-pandemic”.

Surprisingly, no amount is specifically dedicated to making up for surgeries. The plan presented in the fall could not be implemented due to Omicron and which, “will be re-planned” over the next few months.

The lion’s share will go to the reorganization of work with an amount of 3.4 billion over the next five years, of which 604 million during the first year. Quebec has in its sights the decentralization of work schedules, the elimination of the “abusive recourse” to overtime and the increase in the number of full-time workers.

“We have to find a way to increase full time and membership in unfavorable shifts”, specified the president of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, recalling that the collective agreements renewed last fall, in particular with the FIQ, “have not not had time to take effect” due to the pandemic.

The hiring of 5000 administrative agents to lighten the work of nurses will cost 757.5 million over five years. The government also wants to increase the number of pharmacists in hospitals, which echoes the words of Mr. Dubé who hopes to decompartmentalize the professions to unclog the first line.

According to Québec solidaire, the government is not even “laying the first bricks of a refoundation” by not acting on the abolition of compulsory overtime and the establishment of “safe ratios for nurses”.

Quebec is also spending 788.9 million over five years to “modernize” the health system, while the pandemic has highlighted the shortcomings of information systems and the challenge of having access to data “in real time”.

The government will also extend $1 billion by 2027 to “decentralize” the management of CISSSs and CIUSSSs. Quebec wants to “support real local health management” without touching the structures.

The pandemic is not over, Quebec is keeping a woolen stocking of 1.7 billion to finance a possible sixth wave of COVID-19. These sums are reserved for the continuation of vaccination, sustained screening activities and the purchase of 60 million rapid screening tests, in particular.

The measures to defeat the pandemic have also cost the Quebec government $20.3 billion since March 2020. It is anticipated that they will cost a total of $22.1 billion by 2024-2025.

Health spending will reach $54.2 billion in 2022-23, making it the government’s largest portfolio. Growth for the coming year is 6.3%, down from 2021-2022 (10%) when the pandemic was at its strongest in Quebec. Growth then stabilizes at 4.5% for 2024 and 2025.

“I tell them good luck. four percent [de croissance] will not be sufficient for health, especially with the aging of the population,” lamented the former Liberal finance minister, Carlos J. Leitão.

Seniors’ homes: millions for operation

In addition to the $5.2 billion for the system’s “recovery” plan, Quebec is extending $3.7 billion over five years to “enhance” care and services. More than 70% of these sums will go to care for the elderly, strongly affected by the pandemic, with 2.6 billion. Investments also increase considerably from 2024 due to the aging of the population.

The Girard budget reveals for the first time the details of expenses related to the operation of seniors’ homes, which are to open during the year. In 2018, the Legault government committed to creating 2,600 new accommodation places with the construction of 33 facilities by fall 2022. The other 13 seniors’ homes are due to be delivered in 2023.

For the current year, it will cost 75 million to operate the first constructions. These expenses jump from 2025.

In 2026-2027, for example, the State will have to pay 500 million for the operation of seniors’ homes. This is double the expenditure allocated that year in home care.

Over five years, operating the 46 residences will cost the Quebec government $1.5 billion.

This obviously excludes construction costs, which remain stable at 2.4 billion, of which 700 million must be spent in 2022-2023. A total of 900 million has been extended before 2022 in this flagship project of the CAQ.

To give a boost to the renovation of CHSLDs and the expansion of hospitals, Quebec is allocating an additional $2.8 billion to the Quebec Infrastructure Program (PQI) for the health and social services sector. Over the next 10 years, the PIQ forecasts investments of 22.8 billion.

Quebec adds 785 million over five years in its “big shift” towards home care. These sums are in addition to the 3 billion already invested by the Legault government since it came to power in 2018. Quebec is lagging behind in terms of the sums allocated to home care compared to OECD countries.

The Legault government is also resuming its plea for Ottawa to increase the Canada Health Transfer by 35%, unconditionally, and for this level to be maintained year after year. For Quebec, this increase could bring $6 billion a year back into state coffers.

The absence of this 6 billion in the Girard budget is “an admission of failure of the CAQ’s claim to make gains in Canada,” said the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

Finance Minister Eric Girard said Tuesday that his budget does not contain any additional money that may be paid by Ottawa or the fruits of the Trudeau government’s campaign promises in 2021.