TORONTO (AP) — It’s not reasonable for the provinces to demand that Ottawa fork over another $7 billion in new health care money at the same time as they’re cutting taxes, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said Monday.
With the premiers preparing for their annual conference in Victoria this week, Dion’s meeting with his Ontario counterpart suggested a wide federal-provincial gulf still exists over the best way to approach health spending.
Ontario’s intergovernmental affairs minister rejected Dion’s criticism, calling it a red herring to deflect debate away from Ottawa’s underfunding of the system.
Many in the health care system say provincial cost-cutting is putting patient care at risk but the provinces argue they have to balance their budgets.
The provinces are expected to tell the feds next week that they want another $7 billion to return Ottawa’s share of health funding to what it was in 1994-’95 so they can cope with rising costs.
