Canada's premiers want to reform health-care system, asks Ottawa to pick up the phone
Western Canada's premiers want to reform their health-care systems by expanding services but they say Ottawa first needs to pick up the phone.
At the premiers meeting in Regina, British Columbia Premier John Horgan said health-care services are no longer sustainable coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Within a developed country you think that you have access to certain basic commodities -- and health care is one of them," said Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane Friday.
"I don't want to see a time when...we have to...say "Do you deserve to have your surgery today or do I have to make you push it off?"
The premiers say they are struggling to add more levels of care and current needs are not being met.
"We're now concerned about accessing the system because of the frailty of the providers and the inability to meet the expectations of the public," Horgan said.
"Now is the time for a new vision in health care in Canada. Now is the time for all of us to come together, despite our differences, and deliver what is expected of us."
The premiers said it comes down to funding — provinces want a $28-billion increase to health transfers, which would bring the federal funding share to 35 per cent from 22 per cent.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Ottawa isn't picking up the phone, and would like them to come to the table to negotiate.
"Our population has hit that demographic time bomb and you have a lot more older Canadians needing care in long-term care and acute care," Kenney said.
He said province's don't have enough money to address those needs. Other areas of concern include a lack of health-care workers and more supports for those with mental health needs, he said.
"It saddens us up in the Yukon," said the territory's premier Sandy Silver. "We're trying to get to a revolutionary change in our health-care system, (to have) a people-centric approach and collaborative care."
Silver said an increase in the Canada Health Transfer would also help provide equal opportunity to people living in Canada's rural north.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to increase health transfers once the pandemic is over.
But Horgan said the time is now.
"The notion that, 'Well now is not the time to do X or Y' is an abdication of leadership, in my opinion," Horgan said.
The federal government has also signed bilateral agreements with many provinces and territories to address additional health-care needs brought on by COVID-19.
Earlier this year, Canada committed $2 billion to help with surgery backlogs.
Saskatchewan became the ninth province or territory this week to reach an agreement through a federal long-term care fund. B.C., New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Yukon and Northwest Territories have already signed on.
"The Canadian Constitution divides responsibilities between the provinces and the federal government in ways that means the province is in charge of delivering health-care services to citizens," Trudeau said Wednesday in Saskatoon.
"But the federal government does have a responsibility to all citizens to make sure that they are safe and supported."
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the bilateral agreements are not viable in the long run.
"We don't know if that funding will be there two years, five years, seven years from now," Moe, the meeting's host, said Friday.
"Am I frustrated, angered at times, with the fact it's taken this long to have a number of meetings (before) we can even have a meeting to have these negotiations? Yes."
Canada's premiers will meet in Victoria in July for the Council of the Federation. Moe and Horgan said they are hopeful the federal government will deliver on its promise.
"I do believe the federal government will get there because it is what Canadians want," Moe said. "They want sustainability to their health-care services and they want access."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.