Wynne wants face-to-face meeting with Trudeau

OTTAWA • A day after health-funding talks broke down, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is renewing a call for Justin Trudeau to discuss the contentious issue face-toface with provincial and territorial leaders.

Negotiations on a new, long-term funding plan for health appeared to collapse Monday when the provinces rejected what they described as an inadequate offer from the federal government.

But Wynne told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that Ontario officials are already re-engaged with Ottawa on the issue and are once again pushing for the prime minister to get personally involved in future discussions for a new health-care deal.

“We need to see that conversation happen,” Wynne said of a first ministers meeting. “I know that certainly my officials are talking with officials across the country and I hope that we’ll see that opportunity in the not too distant future.”

Wynne added, however, that she had yet to receive any positive signals on that front from Ottawa.

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office wrote in an email Tuesday there was no plan for Trudeau to meet the premiers.

In September, provincial and territorial leaders wrote to Trudeau requesting a meeting on health funding, but the prime minister declined. Trudeau and the premiers had fruitless discussions on the issue earlier this month when they met for climate-change talks.

On Monday, finance and health ministers from the provinces and territories refused to accept an offer from the Trudeau government following meetings in Ottawa.