OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to head into a meeting with regional leaders on Tuesday with billions to offer for a fatigued public healthcare system in exchange for a results-focused spending plan that Ottawa has long sought.
The meeting in Ottawa could result in an agreement over a general outline of healthcare funding, but the federal government and the provinces have cautioned not to expect finalized deals on Tuesday.
Long a source of pride, Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system has been strained to breaking point due to factors including the pandemic and staff shortages.
Canadian provinces and territories have been asking for federal funding to restore capacity, but Ottawa has said such a funding boost must come with strings attached.
“We will be there putting more money on the table but it’s also important to make sure that the focus is on results and outcomes for Canadians, including with better use of health data, more supports for people where they need them across the country,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Monday.
That money could amount to more than C$100 billion as part of a 10-year funding proposal, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Monday, citing an unnamed senior federal source.
The proposal will include tens of billions of dollars of new money, as well as earlier planned increases, the newspaper said, adding that a large part of it will be set aside for separate bilateral deals that will target key areas such as primary care.
Trudeau has previously said that federal support is likely to be divided into two parts – a general deal with all provinces and territories, and individual agreements with each region to suit their specific needs.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. (1800 GMT), with federal ministers expected to speak about the meeting with reporters in the evening.
(Reporting by Steve Scherer and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto; Editing by Sandra Maler)
