Premier Moe says federal health-care funding offer 'disappointing'
CBC
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe say the federal government's health-care funding offer to premiers this week was "disappointing."
"The details of the offer amount to a two per cent increase, and falls short in outlining a path forward for long-term, sustainable funding that all premiers have been calling for," Moe said.
Moe and his fellow premiers have been calling for the last few years for a sit-down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to specifically discuss a new funding model. Premiers are asking for the federal government to increase the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) from 22 per cent to 35 per cent, or an additional $28 billion per year.
Last year, the CHT cost the federal treasury $45.2 billion. It was set to increase to $49.1 billion in this fiscal year.
With the new funding announced Tuesday, the CHT and the separate bilateral funding arrangements will be worth about $54 billion in 2023-24.
Saskatchewan would see nearly $6.2 billion of the pledged $196 billion from the federal government over a 10-year period.
Roughly $5.9 billion would be through the federal transfer, with the remainder coming through bilateral agreements in mental health and substance use, home care and long-term care.
Moe said the premiers are expected to meet soon to discuss the details of the federal proposal.
"While the federal funding proposal is disappointing, it will not deter our government from moving ahead with our ambitious health human resources plan to add over 1,000 new health-care workers, as well as making important investments in mental health and addictions, reducing surgical wait times, building and renovating health facilities and many other health care priorities," Moe said in a statement.
Canadian health policy analyst Steven Lewis said the nearly $200-billion dollar proposal isn't huge, given what Ottawa already sends to the provinces.
"The federal government is proposing to add about $5 billion in new money. So it's not much in the scheme of things. It's not a big game-changing, massive new investment," Lewis said.
"So by and large, I think the premiers were disappointed in the amount of money, but it doesn't sound like they were terribly surprised."
Lewis said money is not the answer when it comes to improving health care in Canada.
He said provinces need to, "figure out once and for all if we have a money problem or do we have an organizational problem and efficiency problem?"
Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof recalls the meeting in Thunder Bay earlier this month. He was part of the nine-day road trip along Highways 11 and 17 with other NDP MPPs.
A bill before the Nova Scotia Legislature is proposing raising the age limit for support for young people who have been in the foster care or group home system to 26.
The Fredericton Police Force has reallocated funds so new staff can be hired this year to better manage evidence after a police error upended murder cases against five people.
One of two pilots killed in a plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport Sunday earned his wings at an Ontario college, CBC News has learned.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.