Federal health transfers: Legault wants a deal with Ottawa in the next few weeks

Quebec Premier François Legault wants the provinces to settle the issue of health transfers with Ottawa as soon as possible.

Legault told reporters Wednesday that Quebec and Ontario are ready to share data on their health-care systems with Justin Trudeau's federal government.

Trudeau has been demanding for some time that the provinces and territories agree on national data sharing to improve patient outcomes.

"[Ontario Premier] Doug Ford and I have agreed to provide the data. It's two provinces. Two big ones," said Legault.

"Will the other provinces agree to provide as much data as we have? I'm listening to [federal Health Minister Jean-Yves] Duclos, Mr. Trudeau, and it's up to them to negotiate."

Asked if he would go so far as to break the common front of the provinces in order for Quebec to get an increase in funding, Legault said no. "We want to keep the common front because we want to be able to do it."

"We want to keep the common front because it has served us well and it should serve us well in the future," he said, adding that he hopes to have a meeting in mid-February to finally seal the deal.

"Why is it important that it be in the next few weeks? So that the federal government will include an increase in health transfers in its March or April budget," Legault insisted.

While in Shawinigan, Que., on Wednesday, Trudeau said he sees a "momentum" in the negotiations with the provinces on increased health transfers.

"There is still work to be done, but we feel that there is a very positive momentum," he said.

"Let's be very clear, the investments we're talking about with the federal government … are for the medium term, the long term of improving our health-care systems," he added.

After a meeting with the prime minister last month, Legault had said he was more optimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement on health-care funding.

Premiers across the country have long called for the Canada Health Transfer to cover 35 per cent of the cost of health care, compared to the current 22 per cent.

In the past, premiers announced in unison that they did not want any strings attached to the additional funding.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 18, 2023.