Trudeau suggests 'positive' news on health-care talks with provinces could come soon

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he hopes to announce "positive steps forward in the very near future" on health care — suggesting the years-long standoff between Ottawa and the provinces over health-care funding may be resolved soon.

Speaking to reporters in Saskatoon after touring a rare earth elements processing plant, Trudeau said the federal government and the premiers are "all very much on the same page" about what's needed to repair a system on the ropes.

"There's a need for more money," Trudeau said. "There is a need for more to deliver results for families."

WATCH: Trudeau says he and the premiers are on the 'same page' regarding health care

Throughout Ottawa's health-care funding talks with the provinces, Trudeau has said he would not offer up any more cash until the provinces agreed to meet certain conditions.

Some premiers, notably Quebec Premier Francois Legault, have been cool to the idea of conditions. Some provinces, such as Ontario, have said the sticking point isn't the attachment of conditions but rather the dollar amount Ottawa is willing to spend.

Echoing federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos' demand that any new federal money be targeted at five priority areas, Trudeau said Monday he wants Ottawa's money to be used by the provinces to expand access to primary care, improve mental health supports and reduce surgery backlogs.

Asked about Ontario Premier Doug Ford's plan to send more publicly funded surgeries — such as knee and hip replacements — to private hospitals to reduce wait times, Trudeau said it's the federal government's job to ensure "the Canada Health Act is always respected." He signalled, however, that he's open to ideas that "deliver better services to Canadians in health care."

The Canada Health Act requires universal access to publicly funded health services covered by provincial and territorial plans, and bans user charges and extra-billing.

"We know how important it is to continue to invest in our health-care systems," Trudeau said.

Canada's population is booming, thanks in part to record levels of immigration. The country is also getting older. Those twin challenges, combined with COVID-related labour shortages, have strained the country's publicly funded health-care system.

To help stabilize the system, the premiers have been asking Ottawa to dramatically increase how much it spends each year on the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) — the block of money sent to the provinces and territories to fund health services.

The premiers have made a bold request: they want Ottawa to increase its share of health-care costs from the current 22 per cent to 35 per cent — a multi-billion dollar annual cash injection. If enacted, that would increase the value of the CHT from $28 billion a year to $45.2 billion.

The federal Liberal government has said the 22 per cent figure doesn't reflect the whole funding picture.