Quebec is pushing for increased federal relocations. The Ministers of Health and Finance are determined to increase the Ottawa Canada Health Exchange (CCD).
Also read: Elderly Care: A total of $ 9 billion pledged by the Liberals
Also read: Health Transfers: 35% increase in health care costs demanded by Black Quebecois
“The problem is that our resources are limited and health represents 43% of our budget. If we increase the health budget by more than 5% per year, there will be less resources for other state services. We need federal assistance and free resources for our other state tasks such as education. Additional federal contributions are needed to deliver, ”said Finance Minister Eric Girard.
“The problem must be solved now, because other ministries have paid for the increase in health care costs, which has not been the case since this year,” Health, a colleague at Christian Dube, told Newells.
Health: 43% of Quebec costs
Health spending in Quebec has been rising for 17 years, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. They went from $ 22 billion in 2004 to $ 45 billion in 2020, with a budget of more than $ 107 billion.
Since the 1990s, all successive governments have demanded more money from Ottawa for health care.
“Historically, the federal contribution was close to 50%, today it is 22%,” the finance minister said.
According to Eric Girard, federal officials are well aware of the situation when it comes to work sessions with their provincial counterparts.
“They filed the numbers that show it. The role of the federal government has diminished when you look at the federal public funds that are in better health than the provinces. It is undeniable that the federal government has not contributed enough to health in Canada,” Eric Girard concludes.
The percentage of health care exchanges in Canada will be low until 2020
From 2004 to 2020, Canada’s health exchange increased from 17% to 21%, from $ 4 billion to $ 9 billion.
During the same period, Quebec’s spending doubled in 2020 to $ 45 billion. The ministers’ concerns are as follows, because even if Ottawa pays more, the share of its funding will fall to less than 20% in 2025 when spending increases. Health over 58 billion.
“If it hasn’t changed, I don’t think it’s sustainable, because not only are the” famous boomers “aging of the population, we already have 40-45 year old segments. Now,” Minister Dube declares, urging Ottawa to untie the purse strings.
The finance minister is adamant. Ottawa has a better long-term financial position than the provinces. “We look forward to 20 years, and the federal finances are healthy and the provinces are in trouble because of health,” he explains.
Prime Minister Legald will draw up a list of demands for federal leaders this week. He will emphasize the change in health, we are told. Quebec, like other provinces, is demanding a 35% increase in CHT, which is more than six billion.
