‘Ball is in premiers’ court’ to accept Ottawa health-care funding deal, Duclos says – National

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and his provincial counterparts agree privately on what needs to be done to improve health care, the federal minister said Wednesday, but he argues “the ball is in the premiers’ court” to accept a deal for more funding from Ottawa.

Talks between federal and provincial politicians have stalled against a backdrop of overwhelmed pediatric hospitals and health-worker burnout that has plunged Canada’s system into a crisis.

Provinces and territories have demanded an increase to the Canada Health Transfer, which is the main source of federal funds that flow into provincial health systems, but the prime minister says that will happen only if the provinces agree to reform and improve those systems.

Duclos met with provincial and territorial health ministers last month in British Columbia, and he says they achieved consensus about what needs to be done, but premiers have refused to sign off.

“We agree on all the problems and the solutions to those problems. We were in total agreement in Vancouver in private,” Duclos told reporters Wednesday.

“The problem is that premiers don’t want us to speak of those outcomes and those results. They want to maintain a futile fight on dollars.”

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said Wednesday the federal minister’s comments were “inaccurate.”

“The Canada Health Transfer wasn’t even on the agenda when health ministers met last month. He gave media sound bites outside the meeting, but came with no actual proposals of any kind. Those are the facts,” Stefanson said in an emailed statement.