Manitoba and the federal government agree in principle on how to pay for health care
Manitoba and the federal government have reached a deal in principle that will give the province more than $6 billion for health care.
A news release from Health Canada with federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Friday morning that the money will improve access to family health services and mental health services, reduce surgery wait times, and help health care workers in the province.
Manitoba is the sixth province, after Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces, to sign a deal in principle for the new health care funding.
But on Friday, Premier Heather Stefanson didn’t seem too excited about the deal. She said that the money for Manitoba is only about 2% of the province’s total health budget.
“So this won’t have a big effect on the long-term financial health of Manitoba’s health care system.” “But we think it’s a step in the right direction, so we’ll take the money,” she told me.
The news release says that work will now start on a detailed three-year action plan with goals and timelines for these improvements.
On February 7, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Canada’s premiers to talk about a new 10-year, $198.6-billion plan, of which $46.2 billion is new money. This plan includes an unconditional $2 billion Canada Health Transfer top-up to help each province’s health system deal with immediate pressures.
Out of the $46.2 billion, $25 billion was set aside for separate deals between the federal government and each province and territory. This money comes with conditions meant to improve four important areas: family health services, health workers and backlogs, mental health and drug use, and a “modernized health system.”
At a meeting of first ministers on February 13, they said they had agreed to the $198.6 billion proposal, putting an end to months of talks.
Over 10 years, this adds up to about $6.7 billion for Manitoba. This includes an immediate, one-time health transfer top-up of $72 million, which will go toward urgent needs like long wait times for surgeries.
In a Friday release, the federal government said it will also work with Manitoba to make it easier for internationally educated health professionals to have their foreign credentials recognized.
Duclos and Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister in charge of intergovernmental affairs, have been traveling across the country for the past two weeks to talk about how each province’s share of the $25 billion will be split.
On February 17, they met with Manitoba Stefanson and a few of her ministers.