Premier Iain Rankin has joined his counterparts from across the country to discuss Canada’s reopening plans and to call on the federal government for greater financial support for health care.
Rankin attended a virtual meeting of the Council of the Federation on Thursday night where the premiers considered their shared priorities as vaccination rollout continues.
They called for changes to the federal Health Canada Transfer program, which provides support to provincial and territorial health systems through long-term predictable funding .
The premiers say they remain united in their call for the federal government to immediately increase its share of health care costs from 22% to 35% of total health care spending, and to maintain this contribution level over time with a minimum annual increase of 5%.
During the conference call, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister officially took over the role of Chair of the Council from Québec Premier François Legault.
“We have a tremendous amount of work to do. As we emerge from the pandemic, our focus will be on restoring economic growth and our health systems,” said Premier Pallister in a news release. “We urgently need a long-term federal funding partnership so provinces and territories can address crucial health priorities, such as reducing wait times and backlogs of medical treatments and surgeries.”
The premiers plan to meet in-person October 5-7 in Winnipeg, and the council says public health measures will be in place to ensure it’s safe.
The Council of the Federation was created in 2003 to promote provincial-territorial cooperation and closer ties between members.
