Ontario Premier Doug Ford made a trip to the Maritimes over the past few days.
During his time out east, he met with the premiers of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
The premiers discussed health care pressures within the country and the urgent need for the federal government to take action to ensure the viability and sustainability of health care services across Canada.
All four premiers agreed that the system has been strained by years of chronic under-funding by the federal government.
“They said a program that began as a 50/50 funding partnership between federal and provincial governments now receives only 22 per cent of its funding from the federal government,” reads a release from the Government of New Brunswick.
“We’re working collaboratively together, we’re going to come up with a strong solution that works for everyone in Canada, but again, we can’t do that alone, we need the support of the federal government,” mentioned Ford.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs mentioned he was glad the four of them met and discussed the issues patients, doctors, nurses, and health care providers are currently faced with.
“For me, all options are on the table to understand what are the best practices not only in our country but other countries. We need to know what can we do differently about how we deliver services, and who can do it best.”
“Many times, we’ve been stymied by one political party after another that says, ‘you do this, and I won’t do it when I get elected,’ and that’s why healthcare continues to erode in the country,” continued Higgs.
Premier Tim Houston agreed and brought up that Nova Scotia and the rest of the country have to begin to turn health care around
“We have to do things a little differently. I think in the past you had different groups or professions that would be territorial over which services they can provide, and maybe nobody else should provide them, but I think you’re seeing scopes expand.”
“Such as you’re seeing pharmacists do more, you’re seeing paramedics do more, and I think you’re seeing a level of collaboration and acceptance of the necessary collaboration across the spectrum where different disciplines can support each other, all in the name of better health care,” continued Houston.
Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King discussed the population difference between the provinces.
“Our abilities to provide solutions are a little bit different. For [Premier Ford] for example, he’s trying to provide health care for 15 million people. In Prince Edward Island, I’m trying to find reasonable solutions for 165,000. So, fundamentally, how we deliver that will be a little bit different.”
“I think everybody in Canada and P.E.I. would like to have access to health care when they need, and as close to home as possible, and to get that health care in a reasonable timeframe, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” added King.
The premiers also agreed that a strengthened pan-Canadian approach is required to prioritize the country’s need for medications while addressing supply chain issues.
“The premiers said this shortfall in federal funding means billions of dollars that could otherwise help provinces hire more health-care workers, build more hospitals, and clear the list of people waiting months or years for surgeries,” reads a release from the New Brunswick government.
The premiers also discussed the skills shortage impacting several sectors in Canada, as well as the energy sector.
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