(Photo: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)
Healthcare, COVID-19 and vaccines were three of the big items discussed during a first Ministers meeting.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Premiers from across the country yesterday for the 23rd First Ministers meeting.
Trudeau says their focus right now is getting through this pandemic, “We will be there to support them with extra healthcare costs linked to this pandemic, whatever it takes for as long as this pandemic lasts.”
He says with this pandemic, they have been made aware of challenges in long term care homes, “The challenges in our long term care homes require more resources and more work together to deliver for our seniors who are worried and out families who are worried about them.”
The Premiers have asked for $28 billion in additional federal health transfers.
He adds, the federal government will be looking at this, ‘It’s going to be important that the federal government steps up and increases its share of the cost of healthcare with the Canada health transfers. We are going to do that and I look forward to conversations over the coming months about how we can increase it.”
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic Leblanc says, “We agreed that we are all committed to the urgent need of fighting COVID-19, and that the last months have highlighted certain gaps in our healthcare system. We agreed to learn from one another and to share best practices.”
According to a news release, the Prime Minister continued his ongoing work with premiers to strengthen health care for all Canadians at the First Ministers meeting. It says he proposed the following areas in which to begin work, supported by new federal investments: improving long-term care and health care delivery for people across the country, increasing mental health services, coordinating on digital platforms and information sharing between jurisdictions, and making progress on a national, universal pharmacare program while lowering the cost of drugs.
It also states, on the issue of pharmacare and high-cost drugs, the Government of Canada, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, will create a new Canadian Drug Agency, and build on the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare.
