Quebec is now the last province – along with the three territories – to still not have reached an agreement with Ottawa to obtain an increase in federal health transfers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, hinted on Wednesday that Quebec could well sign an agreement sooner rather than later.
“We have now reached an agreement with nine provinces and we plan to announce agreements very soon with the last one and the three territories,” he said during a press briefing in British Columbia.
Mr. Trudeau was in the western province to announce an agreement in principle for the transfer of $ 27 billion over 10 years to support care in British Columbia.
At the same time, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos traveled to Saskatchewan on Wednesday to present an agreement providing for an additional $111 million per year, in addition to a one-time payment of $61 million.
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“Each agreement reached represents another step in the right direction to improve the delivery of health care,” said Mr. Trudeau, reiterating that in exchange for additional funds, the federal government expects to receive more data on the performance of the different provincial health systems.
The agreement, however, left a bitter taste in Saskatchewan.
“It is not enough. The Prime Minister [Scott] Moe and the other premiers are unanimous in saying that, but it’s hard to refuse federal dollars,” said provincial health minister Paul Merriman.
The provinces had united for months to try to get Ottawa to increase federal funding for health care from 22% to 35%.
However, the provincial ministers came up against an end of inadmissibility and resigned themselves, in turn, to signing bilateral agreements with the Trudeau government.