Canada’s health system not working, Trudeau says ahead of summit with premiers

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the country’s health-care system is not working for Canadians and his negotiations today with premiers will focus on improving results.

Ahead of a high-stakes health summit on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the country’s health-care system is not working for Canadians and that his negotiations with premiers will focus on targeted investments aimed at improving results.

All 13 of Canada’s premiers are in Ottawa for a first ministers meeting with the prime minister, the first in-person meeting of the country’s government leaders in more than two years.

The talks will focus on Canada’s ailing health-care system, which is currently plagued with a number of systemic problems stemming largely from a nationwide shortage of health workers, a troubling reality that has left millions of Canadians without timely access to life-saving health services.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting today in Ottawa, Trudeau didn’t mince words about the troubles facing the health system and the impact it is having on patients and burned-out nurses and doctors.

“Canadians are proud of our universal public health-care system, but we all have to recognize it hasn’t been delivering at the level that Canadians would expect,” he said.

“That’s why sitting down with the provinces, working collaboratively, investing significantly in priority areas is going to move us forward in the right way.”

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said he hopes to see a collaborative approach taken during the negotiations with the premiers, to ensure patients and their access to necessary health services is kept at the centre of the discussions.

“We need everyone’s efforts, given the situation in which workers and patients are finding themselves these days and these years, because we know these challenges will continue for years to come,” Duclos said Tuesday morning.