WESTMOUNT OUTBREAK

35 COVID cases at CHSLD

The National Assembly formally rejected Ottawa's plan Wednesday to create nationwide standards for private and public senior residences or CHSLDS.

Moved by the minister responsible for seniors and informal caregivers, Marguerite Blais, the motion reminds the federal government that health is an area of exclusive jurisdiction of the provinces.

The National Assembly “asks that the federal government commit itself to not imposing Canadian norms on CHSLDS and senior residences and to (instead) increase health transfers to 35 per cent of the costs of network,” the motion reads.

It was passed, without debate, by the four main political parties in the house: the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the three opposition parties, the Liberals, Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois.

The move comes one day after Premier François Legault and Finance Minister Eric Girard called on Ottawa to stop plans to get involved in the management of CHSLDS, which is where most of the COVID-19 pandemic deaths have occurred.

“If he (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) really wants to help us in our CHSLDS, our hospitals, in the health network, he has to send us a signal that he is ready to increase the contribution for recurrent (costs) because we can clearly see the structural deficit (in Ottawa) is not as big as it is in the provinces,” Legault said.

Girard said he was not surprised that Ottawa's fiscal update on Monday contained no new money for health for the provinces because the subject has not been negotiated yet.

But he said Ottawa's plan to set national standards for CHSLDS is not acceptable.

“Where I am disappointed is over their desire to impose national standards on long-term care homes,” Girard said.

In the fiscal update Monday, Ottawa promised $1 billion to help the provinces and territories improve COVID-19 infection control in residences during the next three years.

Ottawa said this money would be allocated on a per-capita basis but will be contingent on the provinces and territories providing detailed spending updates to Ottawa.

Quebec sees such conditions as a way of meddling in the operations and has balked.

The motion adopted by the legislature also expresses Quebec's “disappointment in the face of the absence of increases in federal transfers” at a time when the provinces have to shoulder significant new health spending because of the pandemic.

In the past, the federal government and the provinces shared costs 50-50. Today Ottawa covers 22 per cent of costs.

Legault and the other Canadian premiers want that number brought up to 35 per cent.

The motion and other comments made by politicians set the scene for a showdown between the levels of government when they all meet for talks Thursday, Dec. 10. The meeting is virtual.

On Tuesday, Trudeau was noncommittal when asked if Ottawa plans to pour more money into health.