Premiers are asking for an increase in federal transfer payments from 22% to 35%
Today Canada’s Premiers are meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to demand more dollars from the federal government in healthcare transfers. The Premiers are insisting more money is needed to address the rising cost of administering care to Canadians but want the funding increased without oversight.
According to the federal government, they are open to increased federal transfer payments. Still, the Premiers can not guarantee that additional funds received will address healthcare nor sit dormant to pad the government’s coiffeurs as many provinces did with pandemic money earmarked to jumpstart the community.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has indicated on numerous occasions the government is always ready to talk. Still, the Premiers are demanding a transfer increase with no oversite of how they get to spend the money. No Premier would provide funding to any organization in Canada without oversite or a clear plan and is making a case for the federal government’s hesitancy.
It has been a challenging year for health care in all Canadian provinces, but it has reached a tipping point in some, such as Ontario and Manitoba. They could use more funding as no one wants a broken healthcare system. It is up to the Premiers to drop the demand mentality and pit them against the federal government. They need to articulate their points better and stop playing politics, as all Canadians are counting on them to ensure the healthcare systems remain intact.
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