‘On reflection,’ Pallister willing to accept PM’s word, negotiate health accord

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This article was published 03/04/2017 (3139 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Pallister says he’s ready to negotiate a health-care funding deal with Ottawa — even without written assurances the feds have withdrawn an alleged threat that had brought discussions to a standstill.

The premier said he will now take Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his word that funding for a promised $60-million aerospace and automobile research hub — dubbed Factory of the Future — is not at risk.

Manitoba had accused Ottawa of linking the project’s fate to the province agreeing to the health-funding accord all other provinces and territories have signed.

“On reflection, I think I should take the word of the prime minister on things like this,” Pallister told reporters Monday.

He said it was “unfair” to continue to demand in writing Ottawa’s commitment to Factory of the Future after Trudeau offered verbal assurances in Winnipeg last week that he was committed to the project.

“There’s a verbal commitment you have reported on,” he said. “Therefore, let’s take the federal government at its word. It wasn’t (Manitoba federal cabinet minister) Jim Carr who threatened; it was a negotiator. Let’s give my federal colleagues some credit for assuring Manitobans that there is no longer a threat. I take them at their word. There is no more threat.”

While most of the provinces and territories said they were unsatisfied with the health deal on the table last December, they signed one by one after receiving assurances of funding for specific health concerns, such as the battle against opioid abuse in some cases.

Pallister said he is now willing to resume negotiations with Ottawa on the deal. As is the case nationally, Manitoba is assured of a three per cent annual increase in overall funding, plus additional dollars from an $11.5-billion pot of cash for mental-health services and home care.

Pallister also wanted additional funding commitments to battle opioid addiction and deal with Canada’s highest per-capita kidney disease rates, along with a resolution to the outstanding issue of medevac payments for the transfer of northern First Nations residents requiring hospitalization.

Meanwhile, the premier said his government would be announcing its plan for health-care reform later this week. He refused to provide any details.

“It’s going to be pretty meaty, and it’s going to be subject of a lot of debate,” he said. “And we’re excited about that. We’re not going to run away from the challenges we face.

“We’re 10th out of 10 (among provinces) in access to health care. We’re 10th out of 10 in too many categories for us to do anything but try to get better results for Manitobans.”

A cabinet spokeswoman later clarified that the province will be participating in a health-care announcement led by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority this week. She said the government will also release the results of its pre-budget consultations, which contain more than 6,000 responses from stakeholders.”

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca