Poilievre says Conservatives would uphold federal-provincial health-care funding deals
Pierre Poilievre says he would uphold the 10-year deals Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking to ink with provinces and territories that would inject $46.2 billion in new funding into Canada's strained health-care systems, if the Conservatives form the next government.
Poilievre said Wednesday that while Trudeau has announced an inadequate amount of new funding to improve the state of Canadian healthcare, based on premiers' initial reactions, "obviously a future Conservative government led by myself will keep in place these additional sums and honour the commitments made."
On Tuesday, Trudeau pitched the premiers a plan that would see federal health funding increase by $196.1 billion over 10 years, in exchange for provinces and territories meeting metrics to improve care.
The offer includes both increases to the amount budgeted to flow through the Canada Health Transfer (CHT), as well as federal plans to sign bilateral deals that are mindful of each province and territory’s unique circumstances.
While Trudeau is touting the Liberals' commitment as "a major federal investment in health care," early indications suggest the offer doesn’t satisfy provinces' demands.
Poilievre told reporters on his way into a Conservative caucus meeting on Wednesday morning, it's regrettable that Trudeau didn't come to the table with more new funding. Though, the Conservative leader said he will "honour" any deal that's finalized, agreeing with the Liberals' approach of looking to advance shared goals with the new money.
Metrics the federal government hopes it can use to assess any tangible progress from these funding arrangements include the net-new family physicians in each province and territory, the size of surgical backlogs, and the median wait times for access to mental health services.
Poilievre wasn't clear on whether he'd offer up more money, but vowed that a Conservative government would not cut health-care funding.
"A Conservative government will unleash the productive forces of our economy so there is more money available to support health care. We will cut the waste and mismanagement in the federal government… So that more of your tax dollar goes to the emergency room, and to treating your family," he said.
This commitment from the Conservative leader offers some certainty that any new spending plans to improve staffing, tackle surgical backlogs, and speed up access to emergency and mental health care, can count on funding whether the Liberals or Conservatives win the next federal election.
Ahead of this commitment, the NDP had accused Poilievre of being “absent, silent and missing” from the conversation around the future of health care in Canada.
During a press conference on Wednesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that if he were prime minister, he'd meet with every premier to talk about rebuilding the health-care system.
Reacting to the Conservative leader's remarks on his way into question period—where health-care spending was a hot topic—Trudeau accused Poilievre of slamming the plan that the prime minister said will improve care for Canadians.
"I haven't heard from any Canadians anywhere in the country who feel like there isn't a need to improve their health-care systems… and I know awful lot of premiers are very eager to roll up their sleeves and get to work," Trudeau said. "Conversations are beginning in the coming days to be able to deliver this money as quickly as possible to make sure that there are concrete improvements."
Premiers are still digesting the prime minister’s pitch, but with plans to have the agreements solidified ahead of the next federal budget, Trudeau has said the federal government is looking to finalize negotiations with the provinces and territories in the next few weeks.
Some premiers left Tuesday’s meeting viewing the Liberal offer as a starting point, while others viewed it as more of a take-it-or-leave-it proposal.
"We're going to sit down today and review it, and discuss it with the rest of the premiers. I'm confident we'll get the T's crossed, the I's dotted," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday. "We're grateful for the offer… but we want sustainability. We need certainty, moving forward… And I'm confident we'll work collaboratively together with the federal government, and I look forward to getting the deal done."
Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones will be meeting with federal officials Thursday to discuss the details of the new health-care funding deal. As CTV News Toronto has reported, the premier’s office said Ontario is being offered $776 million in immediate, emergency top-up funding and another $8.4 billion in health-care money over the next decade. The government, however, is not speaking about how it hopes to use the new funds.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King stuck around to meet with Trudeau on Wednesday. Coming out of that sit-down, King told reporters that he thinks a "significant" amount of money is being offered, but it's nothing new for premiers to push for more from the federal government.
"He who has the gold makes the rules. So I don't know if this is a negotiation. I think it's, we had put forward what we thought was a fair deal. The federal government has come back. At the end of the day the federal government are the ones who say, 'this is the federal money, this is what you have.' So I'm prepared to take that money and put it to good use," King said. "But as I say, I don't think it ends here. I think we need to continue to look for more opportunities to partner with the federal government when it comes to the delivery of health care."
On his way into a federal Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday morning, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said that Trudeau asked him to write to his provincial and territorial counterparts to outline the path ahead for negotiating the proposed bilateral deals tailored to each health-care system’s needs.
Duclos said he'll be doing that "very soon" so that "action plans" the federal government wants to see from the premiers can be finalized, and the $25 billion in earmarked funding can start to flow.
"As we heard yesterday, I think all premiers have indicated that they feel that this is a path forward. It's a big step made yesterday. And now, we need to talk about the way by which those dollars will bring results to patients and workers in Canada. And the good news is that lots of the work… the actual policy that is needed to generate those results, lots of the work on that has been done over the last year with my colleague health ministers," Duclos said.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Local Spotlight
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.