PM Trudeau presenting premiers with health-care funding offer
CTV
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is presenting the federal government's offer for billions in new health-care funding to the provinces and territories at a highly anticipated meeting in Ottawa today. At the first in-person meeting of all First Ministers in years, Trudeau is set to outline how much money his government is willing to provide, and what his expectations are for improving care.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is presenting the federal government's offer for billions in new health-care funding to the provinces and territories at a highly anticipated meeting in Ottawa today.
At the sit-down — the first in-person meeting of all First Ministers since the COVID-19 pandemic —the prime minister is outlining how much money his government is willing to provide, as well as his expectations for provincial accountability on spending the money to deliver improved care.
Getting underway just after 1 p.m., Trudeau, accompanied by a handful of ministers, is expected to spend two hours giving a detailed presentation to his provincial and territorial counterparts.
The federal funding proposal is set to take two forms:
Trudeau said Tuesday that while Canadians are proud of the universal public health-care system, it hasn't been delivering up to the level expected.
"Obviously it's been a tough few years, but there's a need for support now, and better results for Canadians now, but also into the coming years," Trudeau said, briefly stopping to speak with reporters as he arrived for the meeting.
While Trudeau is meeting the premiers behind closed doors, federal officials have scheduled an embargoed technical briefing "on health system funding" for reporters at 2 p.m. ET.