Ottawa signs $3.7B health deal with Quebec, final province to sign onto health accord
All 13 provinces and territories were part of Ottawa's new health accord as of Wednesday after Health Minister Mark Holland announced a $3.7-billion health pact with Quebec.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first pitched a new health-funding deal to provinces more than a year ago to increase federal health transfers and provide targeted help.
The offer came as premiers and health workers raised the alarm about the ailing state of Canada's health-care systems.
In exchange for the funds, Ottawa is requiring provinces to report on how the money will be spent and measure whether those funds are improving health outcomes for Canadians.
Quebec was the only province not to sign onto the deal in principle over concerns about the sovereignty of its health data, accusing Ottawa of overstepping its jurisdiction.
The deal Ottawa eventually reached with Quebec includes $2.5 billion over three years for health-care improvements, as well as $1.2 billion over five years to improve access to home care or a safe long-term care facility for aging Quebecers.
The deals respect Quebec's "exclusive jurisdiction" over health, the province’s Health Minister Christian Dubé said Wednesday in a statement in French.
However, like other provinces, Holland said Quebec will still be required to show precisely how federal dollars are being spent on a shared list of health priorities, and provide annual, publicly available progress reports.
"Inside of that rubric is an enormous amount of flexibility, and the Quebec plan demonstrates that," Holland said in an interview Wednesday.
The Quebec government plans to use the funds to help implement a health-care reform plan, but will continue calling for more federal funding.
According to the province, the federal share of health-care spending will decline from an estimated 21.9 per cent in 2024-25 to 20.7 per cent in 2032-33.
"It has to be said that the amount being provided is not at the level that we asked for,: Dubé said in her statement.
"That said, we have the Quebec Health Plan and the sums provided for in these agreements will be used to support its deployment, which began more than two years ago."
Now that Ottawa has signed deals with each province and territory, Holland said he'll be getting his fellow health ministers together in the coming weeks to talk about next steps.
The accords will be different from past iterations because the provinces will be publicly reporting on their progress, using measured indicators, and providing detailed accounts of how the money's being spent, he said.
"You achieve what you measure," Holland said, describing the new framework as a "starting line" for new federal-provincial-territorial relationships on health care.
"We're not just cutting a cheque."
Provinces are expected to start reporting their progress in the fall of 2025, but Holland said many provinces are already making strides toward improving their health systems after the COVID-19 pandemic.
People shouldn't expect to see immediate change, but Holland said he hopes to see incremental progress toward better health systems in Canada over time.
"If somebody tells you you can wave a wand and magically arrive in a different place, then they're not being honest to you," he said.
While governments will be working toward change as quickly as possible, he said they have to be "true and honest with both the challenges and the opportunities."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2024.
— With files from Jacob Serebrin in Montreal
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would 'of course' be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas if it were available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is 'not interested' in subsidizing future projects.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
A top Qatari official urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a ceasefire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged both Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds on both sides to move toward a deal that would set Israeli hostages free and bring potential respite in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.