Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott is hinting at more federal funding for mental health and home care, as the federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers prepare to meet Sunday evening.
Philpott says she's "cautiously optimistic" the federal and provincial governments can agree on new investments in health care.
"What the federal government's determined to do is be a good partner in making sure that Canadians are more healthy," Philpott said in an interview with Evan Solomon, host of CTV's Question Period.
Philpott, a doctor, said Canadians with aging parents have told her about difficulty accessing home care, and about excruciatingly long wait-times for youth seeking mental health services.
"Right here in Ottawa, children and youth are waiting 18 months to get access to mental health services, and Canadians feel that. I hear it from them every single day," she said.
"We want to support the provinces, make new investments and make sure Canadians get the care they need."
In their election platform, the Liberals promised to provide $3 billion over four years for home care. They also promised a new health accord, without attaching any financial commitment, and have since said they won't rescind a Conservative government decision to limit federal health-care transfers to three per cent annual increases. The last Liberal prime minister, Paul Martin, implemented six per cent annual increases when he was in office. Six years ago, the Conservatives said those annual increases would be cut in half starting in 2017.
The premiers say they can't keep up with the health-care demands of an aging population unless they get more money.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met last week with the premiers and indigenous leaders to discuss climate change, ending Friday with a "clean growth" agreement between the federal government and eight provinces. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall refused to sign onto any deal that incorporated a carbon tax, while Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said he wouldn't sign on without increased federal health-care funding.
Environment Minister last week that she was confident Pallister would end up signing the agreement.
Philpott says the money that's been committed so far - $3 billion for home care and three per cent annual increases - is solid. But the premiers, she says, told Trudeau last week that they need longer-term funding so it's more predictable.
"We have talked about some potential to extend the period of time by which we would support the improved access to home care so that we can be truly transformative," Philpott said.
One of the federal government鈥檚 goals is to make the health accord "transformative," she added, describing it as a line in the sand from which point "Canadians are going to know that they are going to have better access to home care and mental health care."
But the health minister warned any new investments must go to health care.
"We've heard from Canadians that they want us to uphold that responsibility that - as we make further investments beyond what the provinces and territories are already anticipating - that we target it to areas where the health system needs to be transformed and where we can measure the outcomes," Philpott said.
The implication that the provinces and territories are directing the funding elsewhere is bound to frustrate Philpott's counterparts. Last October, she apologized to the other health ministers after making a similar remark.
Federal funding is less than 25 per cent of provincial health-care budgets. The Canadian Press reported Friday that Finance Minister Bill the federal share to a quarter of overall health funding. The Canadian Institutes for Health Information reports Canadian per capita health-care spending has dropped 0.1 per cent a year since 2010.
Watch the full interview with federal Health Minister Jane Philpott on CTV's Question Period Sunday at 11 am ET, 10 am CT, 9 am MT, 8 am PT.
