441-01178 (Health)

Better health care for Canadians means supporting our healthcare workers and ensuring patients receive timely access to health services they deserve. Canada’s universal, accessible and publicly funded healthcare is a point of pride for Canadians. However, health workers across Canada are under enormous strain to deliver the care that Canadian patients deserve. Immediate, collaborative, action is needed to deliver better health care for Canadians. On February 7^th, our government met with the provincial and territorial Premiers to discuss shared health priorities and the importance of ensuring access to health care is based on need and not ability to pay. Discussions included an investment of $198.6B over 10 years, including an immediate unconditional Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up as well as targeted investments and a boost to ongoing CHT funding.

Budget 2023 reconfirms our government’s commitment to provide $198.6 billion over ten years in health transfers to provinces and territories, including $46.2 billion in new funding. The funding includes:

• $2 billion in 2022-23 to address urgent pressures in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and pediatric hospitals, building on $6.5 billion in top-ups provided throughout the pandemic.
• top-up payments to achieve Canada Health Transfer (CHT) increases of at least five per cent per year for the next five years. The last top-up payment will be rolled into the CHT base at the end of the five-year period, resulting in a permanent funding increase. This represents an estimated $17.1 billion over ten years in additional funding, over and above its regular projected growth of $141.8 billion to be provided over the next ten years, over and above the $45.2 billion provided last fiscal year (2022-23).  Since its creation in 2004-05, the CHT has now roughly tripled in size and is projected to grow by 33% over the next 5 years, and 61% over the next 10 years.
•  $25 billion over 10 years to support shared health priorities through tailored bilateral agreements.
• $1.7 billion over 5 years to increase wages for personal support workers and related professions, and $350 million over 10 years for the Territorial Health Investment Fund.

Previously, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided provinces and territories (PTs) with $6.5 billion in top-ups to the CHT to help them address health system pressures, particularly the backlog of surgeries, medical procedures, and diagnostics. This is in addition to other significant pandemic-related health system investments, such as those provided to PTs through the $19 billion Safe Restart Agreement, $1 billion to support the vaccine roll-out, as well as $150 million for the rapid deployment of virtual care services. Overall, 8 out of every 10 dollars invested to support Canadians in the fight of COVID-19 came from the federal government.

Our government continues to collaborate with PTs on shared priorities, supported by targeted federal investments of $11 billion over 10 years (starting from 2017-18, with $4.8 billion remaining) to improve access to home and community care, and mental health and addiction services. Through this work, our government will continue to work closely with provinces and territories to improve health care and health outcomes for all Canadians, including Indigenous communities, children, equity-seeking communities, older adults, and those in rural and remote communities. Better quality of care means helping Canadians live longer, healthier lives.