'Risky' for Ottawa to take strings-attached approach to health-care negotiations: Jean Charest
'Risky' for Ottawa to take strings-attached approach to health-care negotiations: Jean Charest
As negotiations continue between premiers and the federal government, former Quebec premier Jean Charest is criticizing the feds' strings-attached approach to health-care funding, stating that Ottawa should not be in the business of operating health-care systems.
"The federal government does not have either the expertise or knowledge on the ground of how emergency rooms work," Charest, who was also the runner-up in last year's Conservative Party leadership election, told CTV's Power Play on Tuesday. "And trying to intervene in that process is very risky."
In its offer to the provinces and territories, the federal government is pledging to increase health funding by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Under the proposal, only $2 billion of the funding would come without strings attached. The feds are also committing to increase the Canada Health Transfer by five per cent, but this additional funding would be conditional on the provinces agreeing to improve data collection.
"The feds by all means, they should ask for transparency. They should ask for sharing of data, they should ask for some accountability, but should stay in their own role and make sure that they're not trying to run emergency rooms," Charest said.
The proposal also includes $25 billion over 10 years for health-care needs tailored to each province and territory based on bilateral deals. These needs are limited to what the feds have identified as "shared priorities," which include family health access, investing in mental health and substance abuse services, and modernizing the health information system.
"We should share best practices. The federal government should be a convening power, but the feds need to resist the ultimate temptation of trying to direct how a health-care system operates," Charest added.
But Charest says he hopes that through these bilateral negotiations both sides can put aside the rhetoric and find agreements that avoid too much federal encroachment into provincial health-care systems.
"I am hopeful that, you know, everyone will be reasoned with," he said. "Because at the end of the day, common sense will prevail and that they'll want to cooperate."
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