Considering that the prime minister imposed a carbon tax while the provinces were still in talks, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says he 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 be surprised鈥� if the same thing happens with health care.
Wall told CTV鈥檚 Power Play Friday that he believes the $50-a-tonne carbon tax will hit his resource-rich province especially hard and that Tuesday鈥檚 announcement might have been a ploy by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to 鈥渃hange the subject鈥� during a period of negative coverage around 鈥渢he fact that the premiers would like to talk about health care.鈥�
B.C. Premier Christy Clark has demanded a meeting with the prime minister on a new health accord, telling CTV鈥檚 Question Period last month that she cannot accept what will amount to a $250-million annual cut to her province鈥檚 health budget.
Wall said Friday that he鈥檚 concerned about 鈥渨hat it is we can believe from the federal government when it comes to federal provincial relations going forward.鈥�
The accounts for about half of the money the federal government sends to the provinces -- about $36 billion this year, up from $26 billion in 2010-11.
Minister Jane Philpott has said the Liberals will go ahead next year with the previous Conservative government鈥檚 plan to cut the growth rate in health transfers from Ottawa to the provinces from six per cent increases per year to as little as three per cent.
That decision was made unilaterally by Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in late 2011, three years before the 10-year health accord negotiated by Paul Martin in 2004 was going to end.
In 2014, Trudeau praised Martin鈥檚 health accord and lambasted Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper for not making health care a priority in a speech to the
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 committed, if elected Prime Minister, to meeting with the premiers to talk about how to strengthen health care,鈥� Trudeau said. 鈥淭o figure out where they need help, how we can help them, and where we can make measurable progress on the issues that matter to Canadians. Things like wait times, the affordability of prescription drugs, and the availability of homecare.鈥�
Trudeau also said in that speech that 鈥渘ew models of care鈥� are needed, including more home care.
Minister Philpott has said repeatedly that the federal government is looking to get better value for money and that 鈥渋njecting more money into the system isn't always the way to go, and isn't always the best way to be able to drive change."
Philpott also said the Liberals plan to meet their election promises around health care by boosting funding for home care by $3 billion over four years, starting in 2017.
