Throne Speech Fails to Support Better Health Care

PREMIER'S OFFICE--Throne Speech Fails to Support Better Health Care

Ottawa's refusal to meaningfully address health care in the federal speech from the throne is a major failure, Premier John Hamm said today, Feb. 3.

Although health care is the number one priority of Nova Scotians and Canadians, the federal government devoted only a page and a half to the subject out of a 23-page speech. There was also no mention of long-term predictable funding to health care and no mention of the Romanow report, which recommended that Ottawa cover 25 per cent of health-care costs.

Presently, Ottawa only pays for 16 cents out of every dollar spent on health care.

"Provincial governments like Nova Scotia will continue to invest more in front-line health care, working hard to reduce wait times and hire more doctors, nurses and other health care workers," said the premier. "But the throne speech provides no guarantee from Ottawa for the guaranteed new funding that's needed after a decade of federal cuts."

Since 1993, the federal government has cut a billion dollars from health and social transfers to Nova Scotia. As part of Your Health Matters, Nova Scotia's plan for better health care, the provincial government became the first in Canada to guarantee new funding to hospitals over the next three years.

"So far, regardless of who's in the Prime Minister's Office, the federal government stays the same and refuses to do what it takes to work with the provinces to make health care better," added the premier.

The federal government's pledge to make changes to student loans drew praise from Premier Hamm. Last spring, then-Education Minister Angus MacIsaac urged the federal government to provide some relief to families struggling to help students receive student loans.

The premier also welcomed the federal commitment to participate in the cleanup of the Sydney Tar Ponds.

"All Nova Scotians, particularly Cape Bretoners, welcome this renewed promise by the federal government to work with the community to start cleaning up the tar ponds site," said the premier. "Nova Scotia is ready to do our share and we look forward to Ottawa assuming its significant obligations and getting on with the job."

In 2001, the Nova Scotia government established the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency to accelerate remediation activities and manage the province's 30 per cent share of cleanup costs.