Trudeau, Ford to make healthcare announcement
Posted Feb 27, 2023 02:00:13 PM.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford are in Peel Region on Monday where they are expected to make a significant healthcare announcement.
Trudeau’s office says he and Ford will be joined by federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos and federal Minister of Senior Kamal Khera.
The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Mississauga.
Last week, the federal government announced it had reached an agreement in principle with Ontario on a new health-care deal.
The tentative agreement will include $8.4 billion of new funding from the federal health transfer over the next 10 years, with a one-time top-up of $774 million. Ottawa has been working on separate deals with each province and territory to address their specific needs.
The deal comes with an initial three-year action plan that aims to detail targets and timelines for each jurisdiction.
Ford has insisted the money continue to flow for longer than the proposed 10 years. Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones added the federal government has agreed to include built-in reviews “to ensure sustainability and certainty” as part of the new deal.
Also on Monday, the Ontario Health Coalition plans to present evidence that patients in the province are currently being upsold and paying extra fees at private clinics.
The Ford government has tabled a bill that would allow the province to expand private clinics in the public health-care system. Opposition parties and some health-care advocates have been critical about the role of for-profit clinics.
The province has insisted patients at the clinics will not have to pay out of pocket for the procedures.
With files from The Canadian Press.