Premiers will meet Friday to discuss Trudeau's health-care offer
CBC
Canada's premiers will meet Friday to discuss the government's proposed multi-billion-dollar cash injection for the health-care system.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented premiers with Ottawa's offer on Tuesday — a plan to flow roughly $46.2 billion in new money to the provinces and territories over 10 years to help prop up a faltering health-care system.
The premiers were non-committal about the plan after seeing the fine print for the first time. They said they'd take time to review Trudeau's pitch before either accepting the terms or demanding more.
The $46.2 billion price tag is less than what the premiers requested. They wanted Ottawa to spend $28 billion more a year on health care. Ottawa's offer amounts to a fraction of that.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, chair of the Council of the Federation, said the proposal offers "significantly less" than what the premiers sought.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called Trudeau's offer a "starting point" and a "down payment on future discussions." Other premiers suggested they could live with the plan even if it falls well short of what they wanted.
In an interview with CBC's Power & Politics, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said "we see a couple of real wins in this," adding that the rejigged funding formula will help smaller provinces like his because money won't be handed out on a strictly per capita basis.
Under Trudeau's terms, Ottawa will cut separate bilateral side deals with each of the provinces, earmarking funds for health-care issues that matter most in different parts of the country.
That, Furey said, will be particularly helpful for Newfoundland and Labrador, a place with a rapidly aging population and few young people.
Furey said he "absolutely" believes a deal can be settled before the federal budget is tabled this spring.
"Not everybody is on the same page but we're having a meeting on Friday and I'd like to move quickly," he said.
He's "not perfectly OK" with Ottawa's plan, he said, but he's ready to sign something.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King said he's hoping a final deal will materialize soon after Friday's meeting.
WATCH | Will premiers accept the federal government's health-care proposal?