Ottawa signs $3.7B health deal with Quebec, final province to sign onto health accord

Ottawa has signed a new $3.7-billion health pact with Quebec that has the province committing to countrywide health-data collection efforts and benchmarks to measure improvements.

Health Minister Mark Holland signed a $3.7-billion health pact with Quebec today, which means all 13 provinces and territories have now signed on to Ottawa’s new health accord.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first pitched a new health-funding deal to provinces more than a year ago to increase federal health transfers and provide targeted help.

The offer came as premiers and health workers raised the alarm about the ailing state of Canada’s health-care systems.

In exchange for the funds, Ottawa demands provinces report on how the money will be spent and measure whether those funds are improving health outcomes for Canadians.

Quebec was the only province not to sign onto the deal in principle over concerns about the sovereignty of its health data and Ottawa overstepping its jurisdiction.

Now that Ottawa has signed deals with each province and territory, Holland says he’ll be getting his fellow health ministers together in the coming weeks to talk about next steps.