Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will offer the provinces a “significant” increase to the Canada Health Transfer and additional money if they agree to one-on-one deals targeting specific problem areas in the health-care system.
A senior government official with knowledge of the plan told The Canadian Press that Trudeau will lay out a 10-year offer when he meets with the country’s 13 premiers in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Global News confirmed the same information with a senior federal government source, who said the offer will have two parts: an increase in the Canada Health Transfer and then an offer to do bilateral deals with the provinces that want individual flexibility.
The premiers say Ottawa contributes about 22 per cent of what the provinces spend on health care and they want that to go up to 35 per cent.
Trudeau will insist some of the increased federal cash go to specific areas including addressing worker shortages, improving data collection and reducing surgical backlogs.
The federal Liberals say Tuesday’s meeting will not result in a final deal, and that health ministers will continue to work out the details over the next several weeks.
With a file from Global News’ Mackenzie Gray.
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