Premiers call for 'urgent' increase in health care funding
CBC
Canada's premiers sent a message to recently re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday: they want the federal government to increase its share of health care spending, and soon.
Premiers from 10 provinces and two territories participated in a Council of the Federation teleconference to discuss a range of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery. Health care funding dominated their discussion.
Nunavut is in a caretaker period because of an election in that territory and did not participate.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan, who is chair of the Council of the Federation, called the demand "urgent."
"Provincial and territorial health care systems are facing serious challenges and there is an urgent need to act," Horgan said in a media release. "To address these challenges effectively, the newly re-elected federal government needs to work with premiers to put in place an immediate and ongoing increase in health care funding through the Canada Health Transfer.
"Canadians expect us to work together, and premiers stand ready to begin this work — but we need a federal partner."
Specifically, the premiers want the federal share of health care costs to rise from 22 per cent to 35 per cent, and to maintain this distribution of costs.
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