Provinces calling on federal government to increase mental health funding

In the federal election campaign, the Liberals pitched a transfer specifically targeted at mental health care, starting with $4.5 million over five years.

Though provincial governments are clamouring for more funds to bolster their health systems in the wake of COVID-19, some are pushing back against a Liberal election promise to offer dedicated funding for mental health.

Federal contributions to provincial health systems, including mental health services, are funded by the Canada Health Transfer.

In the federal election campaign, the Liberals pitched a transfer specifically targeted at mental health care, starting with $4.5 million over five years.

The transfer would be hitched to national standards to ensure a certain level of accessible care across the country.

Two provinces on opposite ends of the political spectrum agree a dedicated transfer is the wrong approach.

“What they’re proposing is both inefficient and ? an undermining of the fundamentals while having a debate about, in some respects, credit. I don’t think that’s what we need,” said British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix in an interview with The Canadian Press.

B.C. currently funds its mental health services using the Canada Health Transfer, and Dix said the province will need to continue to do that even if a separate transfer is established.

That’s because it’s impossible to parse mental health funding from the rest of the health system, he says.