PM holding firm on premiers’ health-care funding demands
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will keep its spending focus on emergency aid and won’t talk about hiking long-term health-care funding until after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
He says Ottawa needs to keep supporting those hit hard financially by the pandemic, having sent billions in aid to businesses and individuals, as well as to provinces.
Speaking at a midday news conference, Trudeau said that short-term outlook can’t yet give way to longer-term concerns about the effect COVID-19 is having on the Canada’s provincially run healthcare systems.
On Thursday, the country’s premiers reiterated their demand for a handsome increase in the unconditional transfer payments the federal government sends provinces and territories each year for health care.
But Trudeau held firm on Friday, telling reporters he wouldn’t yet negotiate on longterm health care funding.
“As we get through this pandemic, and once we’re on the other side, it is obvious that there will be a need for greater financing of health care in this country, including through the Canada Health Transfer,” Trudeau said.
“As I’ve said to premiers, we will be there to increase those transfers. But that conversation needs to happen once we are through this pandemic because right now, the supports we’re giving to Canadians are the ones that are needed to get through this pandemic.”
The federal government this year will transfer to the provinces nearly $42 billion for health care, under an arrangement that sees the amount rise by at least three per cent each year. Premiers argue that amount doesn’t keep pace with yearly cost increases of about five per cent.