Time for Ottawa to Work with Provinces for better Health Care

PREMIER'S OFFICE--Time for Ottawa to Work with Provinces for Better Health Care

Nova Scotians are counting on the federal government to change its position on health-care funding, Premier John Hamm said today, Jan. 29.

"No government in the history of Canada has cut health-care funding more than the present government in Ottawa," said the premier. "Instead of ignoring the messengers, it's time for the federal government to change its ways, listen to what's happening on health care's front lines and deliver the kind of guaranteed funding Roy Romanow recommended."

Since 1993, the federal government has cut more than a billion dollars from health and social transfers to Nova Scotia. Federal funding announced at First Ministers' meetings in 2000 and 2003 fell short of what provincial and territorial governments needed to make positive changes to health care. Meanwhile, provincial spending on health care has reached record highs.

"In Nova Scotia, we became the first province in Canada to make a long-term guarantee to our hospitals and our health-care workers through multi-year funding," added the premier. "When Ottawa dismisses provincial demands for the same kind of commitment, they are dismissing the needs of patients, their families, doctors, nurses and other health-care workers. The prime minister needs to show that he is prepared to deal with health care differently from his predecessor, not only in style, but in substance."

Premier Hamm noted that even if Prime Minister Paul Martin keeps the promise made by former Prime Minister Jean Chretien to deliver a one-time payment of $2 billion to the provinces for health, a $3-billion dollar gap will remain next year between what Roy Romanow recommended in his federal report to improve health care and what Ottawa is spending.

"The questions Prime Minister Paul Martin must answer are these: Is his government prepared to make a long-term commitment to repair the damage caused by federal health-care cuts over the last decade? Is he prepared to make the investments recommended by Roy Romanow to reduce wait times and put more health-care workers on the front lines? Is he going to be different than his predecessor and work with provinces like Nova Scotia to improve health care," asked the premier.

The premier will meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts in Ottawa the morning of Friday, Jan. 30, before meeting with the prime minister at 24 Sussex Drive.