Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Health Money Is On The Table, Up To Provinces Whether To Take It: Trudeau

IANS, 27 Jan, 2017 12:36 PM
    WINNIPEG — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says tens of billions in federal health transfer payments are there for the taking if the provinces want them.
     
    He also reiterated that Ottawa is offering an additional $5 billion in targeted funding over 10 years for mental-health care.
     
    "We've put forward significant amounts of money. It's (up) to provinces whether they want that money or not," Trudeau said before a town-hall meeting in Winnipeg.
     
    He did not answer a question about whether he would impose a deadline to reach a deal.
     
    The three territories, three Atlantic provinces and Saskatchewan have signed onto the federal government's health-funding plan.
     
    Trudeau said he is looking forward to working with the hold-out provinces "to make sure we're responding to the needs of Canadians.
     
    "For almost 10 years, the previous government had nothing to do with the provinces on health care ... and therefore Canadians felt that their health-care outcomes and system was suffering."
     
    The prime minister was in the Manitoba capital on Thursday as part of a cross-country tour to meet with Canadians and hear their concerns. It was the same day Manitoba launched an online ad campaign criticizing the federal government's plan to limit annual increases in health transfer payments.
     
     
    Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen has said the campaign is intended to educate Manitobans about what the Liberals "are going to do in terms of reducing their health-care services."
     
    The federal government has been criticized for weeks over its plan to limit how quickly health transfers increase.
     
    A deal reached in 2004 saw transfers rise about six per cent a year for a decade. The Liberal government is offering annual increases of either three per cent or a three-year average of economic growth, whichever is higher.
     
    Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott has said the funding increases being offered are significant and will address gaps.
     
    "The $11.5 billion (in mental-health and home care) offer we put on the table in December has the potential to be transformative and make a difference in the lives of Canadians,'' she said in an email to The Canadian Press earlier this week.
     
    Goertzen has suggested the hold-out provinces might also conduct public campaigns.
     
    "I can tell you that in the discussions that we've had with other provinces, they recognize the need to communicate the difficulty this will put them and their residents in."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Mounties Seize Marijuana, Cash In Chilliwack, B.C., Dial-A-Dope Bust

    Mounties Seize Marijuana, Cash In Chilliwack, B.C., Dial-A-Dope Bust
     Police say an alleged dial-a-dope ring has been shut down in Chilliwack, B.C., and five people have been arrested.

    Mounties Seize Marijuana, Cash In Chilliwack, B.C., Dial-A-Dope Bust

    Allegedly Drugged Driver Hits Cop Car, Overdoses: Vancouver Police

    Allegedly Drugged Driver Hits Cop Car, Overdoses: Vancouver Police
    Vancouver Police are investigating the circumstances leading to a morning collision on Main Street, after an occupied police vehicle was hit by a suspected impaired driver.

    Allegedly Drugged Driver Hits Cop Car, Overdoses: Vancouver Police

    B.C. Premier Christy Clark No Longer Receiving Stipend From Party

    VANCOUVER — British Columbia's premier says she is no longer receiving an annual stipend from her political party because the payment has become a distraction.

    B.C. Premier Christy Clark No Longer Receiving Stipend From Party

    North Shore Peak Named After Search And Rescue Leader And A Real British Columbian Hero Tim Jones

    North Shore Peak Named After Search And Rescue Leader And A Real British Columbian Hero Tim Jones
    VANCOUVER — A mountain peak on British Columbia's North Shore is being named in honour of a long-time leader in the province's search and rescue community.

    North Shore Peak Named After Search And Rescue Leader And A Real British Columbian Hero Tim Jones

    Trump Has Conversation With Trudeau, Discuss The Economy And Exports

    Trump Has Conversation With Trudeau, Discuss The Economy And Exports
    The Prime Minister's Office says the two men spoke by phone Saturday, but it was not immediately clear how long the conversation lasted.

    Trump Has Conversation With Trudeau, Discuss The Economy And Exports

    Free Snowmobiling In Northern New England, Canada This Month

    EAGLE LAKE, Maine — Maine is using a pair of weekends in January to open up snowmobiling opportunities with its neighbours, including New Brunswick.

    Free Snowmobiling In Northern New England, Canada This Month