Pallister on health accord: Ottawa’s threats off the table, bargaining still ongoing

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This article was published 27/04/2017 (3072 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba is still bargaining with Ottawa and there’s no date yet for signing a health accord with the federal government, Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday.

He still thinks Ottawa’s approach to an unsustainable health-care system is “dangerous and reckless,” Pallister told an estimates hearing.

Nevertheless, Pallister told NDP health-care critic Matt Wiebe that Ottawa’s threats are off the table. Manitoba is the lone holdout to signing an accord.

“There is no threat of reducing our mental health” funding, said Pallister.

The answer was the same for what Pallister portrayed as a threat to withdraw $60 million for the Factory of the Future research centre if Pallister didn’t sign, he said.

Once that threat was gone, “Immediately, we resumed our outreach to the government,” Pallister told Wiebe.

He continues to try to get the best possible additional funding on indigenous health-care needs he can before signing, Pallister said.

After Wednesday’s overt antipathy between Pallister and NDP finance critic James Allum, Thursday’s exchanges were far more civil and even-tempered.

In response to Wiebe, Pallister said there won’t be a dedicated stroke unit introduced this year but there will be in the future.

Wiebe asked repeatedly how many personal care home beds will be built during the four years of Pallister’s mandate. “We know the first year is zero, so put that on the record,” the New Democrat said.

He got responses — the premier’s attacking spending promises of the former NDP government — but not an answer.

Pallister read from a long list of smaller capital projects the Conservatives have carried out in the health-care system; like those in education, basic repairs predominated.

“I see a lot of roofs that weren’t repaired for a very long time — it’s kind of symbolic,” said Pallister.

Interim NDP leader Flor Marcelino was very interested in the travel costs of David McLaughlin — an Ottawa-based consultant who had been the Conservatives’ election campaign manager, then was hired to advise on climate change policy, and, as of Monday, will be Pallister’s interim director of communications and stakeholder relations.

She specially wanted to know if the government purchased carbon offsets for McLaughlin’s frequent trips between Ottawa and Winnipeg as its environmental consultant.

No, that’s not policy, said Pallister.

Compared with the former NDP government, “Our travel budget is 11 per cent lower,” the premier said. In the first year of any government, “That is quite an accomplishment.”

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca