November 13, 2020
Statement from Premier Pallister on a Dedicated First Ministers' Meeting on Health Care Funding
During yesterday’s First Ministers’ call, I was pleased to hear the Prime Minister’s agreement to hold a dedicated First Ministers’ Meeting on health care funding during the first week of December. I have been advocating for this since 2016 and now, four years after we first raised the need, the federal government has listened. As we face unprecedented health care challenges posed by COVID-19, the issue has only become more critical and we must now make significant progress.
Today in Canada, health care needs are increasing but federal funding has not kept pace. Provinces are responsible for the vast majority of funding, 78 per cent, while the federal government funds only 22 per cent. Our provincial contribution to health care funding is at an all-time high, while the federal government’s is at an all-time low. This needs to change.
I will be taking a strong Manitoba message to the First Ministers’ Meeting, calling for a true and sustainable federal-provincial health care funding partnership to meet the needs of Canadian patients, families, and seniors.
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