Last week I attended meetings in Toronto with health ministers from across Canada. We were joined on one day of the meetings by federal Health Minister Jane Philpott.
There were a number of issues discussed including the opioid addiction crisis. One of the primary issues discussed facing Manitoba is the cost of healthcare as our population ages and struggles with challenges related to chronic disease. Partnerships have always existed between the federal and provincial governments: at one time half of a province’s health care costs was funded by the federal government, but now for most provinces it is less than a quarter of the total costs of health care that the federal government supports.
Provincial ministers of health did not receive the commitment we were looking for from our federal counterparts for a long-term predictable funding partnership on health care. As a result, Premier’s are asking that Prime Minister Trudeau meet with them to discuss this most important issue for Canadians.
