Alberta closer to health deal with Ottawa, Notley says

CALGARY With the united front among provinces on health care funding long since crumbled, Premier Rachel Notley signalled Friday that Alberta is prepared to agree to its own one-off deal with Ottawa on transfers.

British Columbia became the latest province to reach a bilateral agreement with the Trudeau government with the announcement Friday of a 10-year, $1.4-billion health-funding agreement.

Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba are the only provinces left without such an agreement, despite all provincial and territorial governments initially calling for a collective agreement on better terms after health care negotiations broke down in December.

In a news conference in Edmonton, Notley said the province is in talks with the federal government.

“We are getting closer. We are having productive discussions,” the premier said when asked if a deal was imminent. “But we’re not at a point yet where we’re able to specifically talk about that yet.”

Notley has, along with other premiers, called in the past for a First Ministers Meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hammer out a new accord on health funding.

But the premier downplayed that idea Friday.

“What we’re saying is we want to make sure we ultimately come to a resolution that is the best for Alberta, and obviously the best for Canada,” she said.