As health funding deal nears, N.B. premier not expecting feds to offer 'full amount' of provinces' transfer ask
CTV
The premier of New Brunswick says it’s “exciting” and “encouraging” the federal government and the provinces are getting closer to a long-term health-care funding deal, but that he's doubtful the premiers will receive the full amount they're asking for.
The premier of New Brunswick says it’s “exciting” and “encouraging” the federal government and the provinces are getting closer to a long-term health-care funding deal, but that he’s doubtful the premiers will receive the full amount they’re asking for.
Blaine Higgs told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Sunday, the negotiations over whether the federal government will send more money to the provinces for health care — plus how much they’ll send and with what conditions attached — have “ramped up significantly in the last few weeks” after a “long process.”
The provinces have long been calling for the federal government to increase funds through the Canada Health Transfer from 22 per cent to 35 per cent of health-care costs, about an additional $28 billion a year.
“It isn’t my sense that they'll come with the full amount, let's put it that way,” Higgs said. “But between where we are and where we've asked, there's a number in there somewhere.”
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos signalled this week the federal government may be getting closer to a deal with the provinces, while some premiers have also said they may be willing to accept some of the federal government's conditions.
“I would like to recognize that there has been significant progress over the last few weeks,” Duclos said Friday. “I’m positive and optimistic, as the prime minister is also, as he has signaled earlier this week.”
“And that's because we have seen a shift towards a focus on what matters to Canadians, which are results for patients and health-care workers," he also said.