Premiers demand meeting with Trudeau to discuss increased health-care funding
Premiers demand meeting with Trudeau to discuss increased health-care funding
A paramedic is seen outside ambulances parked at the entrance to the emergency department at Richmond General Hospital, in Richmond, B.C., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
OTTAWA -
Canada's premiers presented a united front Friday as they demanded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau come to the table personally to hammer out an agreement for Ottawa to shoulder more of the burden when it comes to health-care costs.
Premiers also defended their refusal to accept conditions for additional federal funds, and pushed back on any suggestion of throwing their own money into the pot even though some provinces are posting budget surpluses.
The provincial and territorial leaders issued their call for a sit-down with Trudeau after a closed-door meeting in Winnipeg, one month after talks with the federal government on health-care funding ended without an agreement.
Led by Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, the premiers reiterated their desire to see Ottawa cover 35 per cent of health-care costs across the country, up from the current 22 per cent, by increasing the Canada Health Transfer.
Provincial health ministers presented the same demand to federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos in Vancouver last month. But those talks ended without a deal, with Duclos saying provinces did not want to accept any conditions for the money.
Stefanson said it is time for the prime minister to negotiate an agreement in January.
"What we're calling for today is just a meeting to sit down with the prime minister to have the discussion about fair and sustainable funding for the future of health care in our country," Stefanson said at a news conference.
During a separate news conference on Parliament Hill, Duclos reiterated the federal government's willingness to work with provinces and territories on a long-term deal. However, he would not say if Trudeau would meet the premiers.
"The prime minister will obviously do what he wants to do," Duclos said.
"What he has asked me to do is to work with my colleagues, health ministers. … Now we need premiers to let us do our job and express publicly the type of outcomes and results that we need to achieve together."
The impasse comes as many health-care facilities, particularly children's hospitals, are struggling with a shortage of staff and overwhelming demand as a result of a combination of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory infections.
It also comes as some provinces are facing rosier fiscal situations than expected, with a number projecting budget surpluses. That has prompted some, such as the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, to question their demands.
The CCPA in a report last month projected that British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick would have budget surpluses now and into the coming years that would help address some of the system's current problems.
Stefanson and others defended their position and accused Ottawa of unfairly dumping its obligations onto the provinces and territories at the expense of other priorities such as education and other services.
"What we see in these forecasts is that in the long term, the federal government will end up with surpluses and the provinces will increase their deficits because of the growing rate of increase for health care," said Quebec Premier Francois Legault.
Duclos said Friday that the federal government has been clear it is ready to contribute more to health care, but that Ottawa wants to know what results will be achieved with the additional funds before they are doled out.
"We first need to agree on the outcomes and the results we need to achieve together," he said. "So let's speak about the ends Γüá-- what we want to do Γüá-- and then assess the dollars needed from everyone, including the federal government, to achieve those results."
However, premiers have interpreted such talk as an attempt to dictate how money will be spent.
"Transparency and accountability, we have no problem with that," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. "But we need the flexibility. First of all, we need the funding, and then we need the flexibility to be able to move those funds around where they're needed."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.
Correction
A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the topic of the premiers' meeting.
Authorities in Western Australia on Wednesday recovered a tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that fell off a truck while being transported along a 1,400-kilometre Outback highway last month in what an official said was like finding the needle in the haystack.
Health Canada is encouraging Canadians to check their cupboards and kitchen tables as the agency has recalled more than 30 types of Indigo-branded items including ceramic mugs, mug ornaments and houseware products due to potential mould contamination.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner is raising concerns over the federal government's spending on so-called COVID-19 quarantine hotels, calling the total spent on a Calgary-area hotel in 2022 'legitimately flabbergasting.'
The family of Tyre Nichols plans to lay him to rest on Wednesday, three weeks after he died following a brutal beating by Memphis police after a traffic stop.
A suspect in a violent kidnapping in Oregon died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday night after being taken into custody following a standoff with law enforcement, a police spokesman said.
A new report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is highlighting 'significant inequities' in women's health care that is disproportionately affecting racialized and Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and those living with low socioeconomic status.
Las Vegas police on Tuesday arrested and raided the home of a former 'Dances With Wolves' actor turned alleged cult leader accused of sexually assaulting young Indigenous girls during a period spanning two decades, according to police records obtained by The Associated Press.
On CTVNews.ca/W5: Executive Producer Derek Miller highlights an example of a W5 mini investigation that never made it to air, but made a difference in someone's life nonetheless.
On CTVNews.ca/W5: Executive Producer Derek Miller highlights some of W5's upcoming investigations, including Mexico's multi-billion dollar avocado industry run by cartels, and a continuing look into the Pivot Airlines passengers and crew who were detained for months without charges in the Dominican Republic.
The five-member Pivot Airlines crew, who had been detained in the Dominican Republic for almost eight months, is now back in Canada. An emotional airport reunion took place in a special pre-arrivals area of Toronto Pearson International Airport, as the two flight attendants, pilot, co-pilot and mechanic were greeted by family.
W5 speaks with Pivot Airlines flight attendant Christina Carello, who reveals new details about how she uncovered key evidence that had been tampered with in a nightmare ordeal in the Dominican Republic.
CTV's W5 has been shown never-before-seen surveillance footage of Punta Cana International Airport from the night before a Canadian airline crew was detained after discovering duffel bags stuffed with 210 kilograms of cocaine in their plane's avionics bay.
Fifty years ago, Omar Sachedina’s mother was expelled from Uganda along with tens of thousands of other Asians. This summer, she returned to her village for the first time. Omar recounts, in his own words, the emotional return to his mother’s homeland on CTVNews.ca.
The family of a 95-year-old Ontario woman tricked into withdrawing $10,000 in the middle of a major snowstorm said it's 'absolutely unconscionable' that bank employees allowed her to take out the money without contacting her power of attorney.
The city will lay out its multi-billion dollar spending plan for 2023 today before a whirlwind consultation period this month leading up to final approval March 1.
Algonquin College's Pembroke campus has events planned throughout February to celebrate and acknowledge Black History Month, and the county plans to highlight Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.
Health Canada is encouraging Canadians to check their cupboards and kitchen tables as the agency has recalled more than 30 types of Indigo-branded items including ceramic mugs, mug ornaments and houseware products due to potential mould contamination.
One person remains in hospital after a crash on Highway 21 in Bruce County on Tuesday. Just before 1 p.m., South Bruce OPP responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 21 near Kincardine.
The Quebec government suffered a setback Tuesday when two amendments to Bill C-13 to modernize the federal Official Languages Act were rejected after heated debate in parliamentary committee.
A man in his 20s was rushed to hospital with sharp-object wounds Tuesday night in Longueuil, police say. After suffering his injuries elsewhere, police say he sought help inside a depanneur on Chambly Rd. and King George St. in Old Longueuil.
Large areas of southern Quebec are expecting strong gusting winds carrying snow and deep-cold temperatures heading into the weekend, according to Environment Canada.
The fallout from the December travel chaos continues, as the backlog of complaints made to the Canadian Transportation Agency keeps growing. As of Jan. 31, there have been 6,395 new complaints made to the agency since Dec. 21.
The start of a new month brings the opportunity to raise money and awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society. Dry Feb starts Wednesday and it challenges Canadians to not drink alcohol during the month of February.
Wednesday night's game against the Calgary Hitmen at the Scotiabank Saddledome will mark the final time the Connor Bedard-led Regina Pats visit the stampede city this season.
A Calgary-area MP is questioning why the federal government spent almost $7 million last year for a quarantine hotel in the city that only 15 people stayed at.
The Alberta government says changes are coming to further protect free speech on campuses as a former professor speaking out on so-called “woke” policies prepares for a showdown with the University of Lethbridge.
Disturbing video of a man berating a young couple with homophobic slurs in downtown Vancouver has triggered a police investigation – and prompted an outpouring of support for the victims.
The ongoing toxic drug crisis, waves of COVID-19 and other mass casualty events have B.C. healthcare workers pleading for faster access to mental health care as more of them find themselves distressed and despairing.
Following a week and a half of testimony from 34 witnesses, the jury in the coroner's inquest into death of Vancouver police Const. Nicole Chan began deliberating Tuesday.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner is raising concerns over the federal government's spending on so-called COVID-19 quarantine hotels, calling the total spent on a Calgary-area hotel in 2022 'legitimately flabbergasting.'
The commission investigating the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act to quell the trucker protests last winter in Ottawa has asked for more time to complete its report.
A new report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is highlighting 'significant inequities' in women's health care that is disproportionately affecting racialized and Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and those living with low socioeconomic status.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging health care providers and consumers to stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears as it conducts an investigation into at least 50 infections in 11 states that have led to instances of permanent vision loss, hospitalization and one death.
Health Canada is reviewing the safety of domperidone amid reports that some breastfeeding mothers in Canada and the U.S. have had serious psychiatric symptoms when they tried to stop taking the drug.
Australian authorities are mounting an extensive search for a tiny radioactive capsule believed to have fallen out of a road train that travelled 1,400 km in Western Australia. Here's what you need to know:
Prosecutors linked Alec Baldwin to an expansive list of alleged failures in firearms safety as they filed a felony involuntary manslaughter charge Tuesday against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set.
Las Vegas police on Tuesday arrested and raided the home of a former 'Dances With Wolves' actor turned alleged cult leader accused of sexually assaulting young Indigenous girls during a period spanning two decades, according to police records obtained by The Associated Press.
Daytime television psychologist 'Dr. Phil' McGraw says he plans to end his talk show after 21 years in the coming months, but viewers haven't seen the last of him.
Shares in Indian tycoon Gautam Adani's conglomerate plunged again on Wednesday as a rout in his companies deepened to $86 billion in the wake of a U.S. short-seller report, with the billionaire also losing his title as Asia's richest person.
Thousands of schools in the U.K. closed some or all of their classrooms, train services were paralyzed and delays were expected at airports on the biggest day of industrial action Britain has seen in more than a decade, as unions stepped up pressure on the government Wednesday to provide better pay amid a cost-of-living crisis.
Europe's inflation rate dipped at the start of the year, giving some relief to consumers but still leaving them facing higher prices. The consumer price index for the 20 countries that use the euro currency fell to 8.5 per cent in January from a year earlier, European Union statistics agency Eurostat said Wednesday. That's after annual inflation hit 9.2 per cent in December.
News that she'd be headed back to the office was very welcoming for English instructor Kathy Andvaag, after more than two years teaching from her “dark” and “cold” basement.
With the spring break travel season approaching, those looking to flee the cold, wet Canadian snow for sunnier skies will likely be met with a hefty price tag for their getaway, with inflation and increased demand pushing costs up.
Novak Djokovic played with a three-centimetre (1.2 inches) tear in his hamstring during his run to a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
President Joe Biden heads to New York City today to showcase a US$292 million mega grant that will be used to help build a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
A paramedic is seen outside ambulances parked at the entrance to the emergency department at Richmond General Hospital, in Richmond, B.C., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
