Insiders say Justin Trudeau ready to freeze out Quebec and other provinces in federal health-care deals via torontostar
The federal government isn’t too pleased with a new national ad campaign that suggests Canada’s shortages of nurses and doctors is Ottawa’s fault. I’m using polite language to describe the Liberals’ impression of the latest “misleading” and “offensive” pressure tactic by the Council of the Federation — the group of 10 provinces and three territories — as they plead for more federal health-care funding.
That’s not to say Ottawa won’t boost transfers; it plans to. But by how much and under what conditions is what’s about to be discussed with increased fervour. The Liberals seems pretty confident they can get agreements with the Atlantic provinces and Ontario, as well as British Columbia and Manitoba. But they won’t include a one-time injection of $28 billion — as the Council of the Federation has lobbied. Ottawa disagrees with the provinces’ math, arguing it doesn’t account for $19.6 billion in tax points it has transferred to them. It says Ottawa spends about 30 cents on the dollar, not the 22 cents the provinces are complaining about.