Coullard lauds health deal as good for Quebec
Premier says funding agreement with Ottawa preserves ‘distinct’ character
A new health-care funding agreement between Quebec and Ottawa recognizes the province’s “distinct” character, according to Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
The deal totals $2.5 billion over 10 years, Couillard said, emphasizing the shared priorities of the provincial and federal levels of government.
The latter also announced deals with Ontario and Alberta on Friday — a significant reversal of fortunes after months of negotiations and threats of walkouts at meetings last year.
Couillard lauded the fact Ottawa accepted the “principle of asymmetry,” which he said will allow Quebec to use federal transfers as it sees fit. He said Quebec is the only province with such latitude in federal health transfers.
“Since 2004 it’s been a major gain for Quebec and this is still the case,” he told reporters in Saguenay. “I think we can say it’s even been improved. My job will always be to make sure Quebec’s distinct character is recognized and highlighted in concrete fashion.”
A press release from the Quebec Liberals pointed to mental health and home care as key elements of the agreement. Those areas have been identified by the federal government for the allocation of $11 billion in extra funding to the provinces and territories over 10 years.
Couillard said Quebec’s priorities are pretty much the same as those in other jurisdictions across North America.
“We’re all talking about the need for care for the elderly and on the front lines, in mental health,” he said.
Asked at a news conference Friday in Houston about the deals in general and Couillard’s comments in particular, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted the agreements were a “very big win” for federalism and for Canadians.
“The fact that we have provinces who have agreed that making historic investments in home care and in mental health is important for our communities, for our families and our economic productivity, for our society, is a very big win,” he said.
Canadians expect the federal government and provincial and territorial governments to work together, he added.
“Sometimes, that will be one big agreement signed by everyone,” he said. “Other times it will take specific negotiations with each of the provinces.”
Health Minister Jane Philpott confirmed the deals — which leave Manitoba as the only remaining provincial holdout — with a wide grin and high-fives with her fellow cabinet ministers during the daily question period.
She later denied that the government used a “divide-and-conquer” strategy against the premiers and their once-united front against Ottawa’s planned reductions in annual health-transfer payment increases.
“They have, in their own time, come to an agreement with us,” Philpott said.
Part of the new agreement with Alberta includes $6 million to assist the province in its fight against an escalating opioid crisis.
The deals follow an agreement reached last month with British Columbia that included $1.4 billion in health money over a 10-year period and $10 million specially to combat a particularly acute opioid problem.
Philpott has long advocated for targeted money in home care and mental health in order to ensure the areas are treated as priorities.
At a meeting of health and finance ministers last December, the provinces and territories rejected a federal offer of $11 billion over 10 years for home care and mental health, as well as $544 million over five years for prescription drug and innovation initiatives.
At that time, Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette threatened to walk away from the negotiating table if the federal government didn’t put up more money, while Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa accused Ottawa of preferring a unilateral approach.
In December, the main point of contention was a federal plan to limit annual health transfer increases to three per cent a year — half the six per cent increase set out in the last long-term agreement with the provinces.
Philpott insisted, however, that the federal government had put substantial offers on the table that she believed would change the face of health care in Canada.
Nicolas Marceau, the Parti Québécois spokesperson for Quebec-Canada relations, accused Couillard’s Liberals of failure.
“It’s disheartening to see the Quebec government accept an increase that is twice as low in terms of health-care transfers, only to maintain what was already there,” he said.
The agreement will bring the proportion of Quebec health care funded by Ottawa under 20 per cent, while it was originally 50 per cent, the PQ MNA said in a statement, adding that it would lead to losses of roughly $6.5 billion over 10 years for the province.