Federal health minister sounding hopeful on deal with Manitoba

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This article was published 04/04/2017 (3136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott says she is looking forward to signing a health funding agreement with Manitoba “in the very near future.”

Philpott made the remark Tuesday, a day after Premier Brian Pallister removed a major stumbling block to renewed negotiations between the two levels of government.

Asked about the status of the talks following a cabinet meeting in Ottawa, the federal minister said she was hopeful that an agreement could be reached soon.

“Of course, we know the people of Manitoba recognize, like Canadians across the country, that there are needs in the areas of home care and mental health. And they would, I’m sure, be pleased to get those extra resources to support those areas,” she told a group of reporters.

An audio recording of Philpott’s remarks was obtained by the Free Press.

Late Tuesday Pallister confirmed that talks have resumed.

“Discussions continue and we will continue to negotiate the best we can for the good of Manitobans,” he said outside the legislature.

Pallister did an about-face Monday after weeks of tough talk on health-care funding negotiations with Ottawa. He withdrew a demand for a written assurance that federal funding for an advanced manufacturing facility in Winnipeg, dubbed Factory of the Future, does not hinge on Manitoba signing the new national health deal.

Manitoba alleges that a federal official linked the two matters during talks earlier this year, derailing the negotiations.

Pallister repeated his insistence on a written assurance even after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau verbally expressed his support for Factory of the Future during a Winnipeg visit last Wednesday.

But the premier said Monday he’d reconsidered his position.

“On reflection, I think I should take the word of the prime minister on things like this,” he said.

Pallister said he is now willing to resume talks on the health deal. Manitoba is the lone holdout; all other provinces and territories have signed health deals with Ottawa.

Manitoba, like other provinces, is assured of an annual three per cent increase in the Canada Health Transfer over the next 10 years.

Once it signs a deal with Ottawa, it will receive additional funds from a new $11.5-billion federal pot of money devoted to mental-health and home-care services. In the first year of the accord, the amount of money Manitoba would expect to receive for these services is relatively small — $10.8 million. However, that amount ramps up over the course of the 10-year agreement.

Pallister said Manitoba is also seeking a side deal — similar to what several other provinces have negotiated — that would provide federal help in the battle to combat opioid addiction and kidney disease. Manitoba also wants to resolve an outstanding issue regarding the funding of medevac services for northern First Nations residents.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca