B.C.’s premier said provincial governments in Canada are calling on the federal government to increase funding for health care, but would not say how additional money would be used.
Speaking with media, John Horgan says every time he meets with the prime minister he brings up the need for additional money for health care.
“Every time I see him I talk to him. I know that he understands the importance of this but I don’t know if they understand, he and his team understand, how important it is to get started,” Horgan said.
“The more we wait the more difficult the challenge becomes, the sooner we can make decisions based on stable funding, the sooner we can start building out all of the issues that have been canvassed in the first three questions here today and beyond.”
Although health care is provincial jurisdiction, Horgan has repeatedly pointed to the Canada Health Transfer as a main issue in addressing shortages in health care.
“It’s our jurisdictional responsibility, but the federal government is responsible for the Canada Health Act, and historically had been a roughly 50/50 partner going back to the 1960s,” Horgan said.
“And this didn’t happen yesterday, it’s been happening over time, and our appeal to the federal government and to the Prime Minister is that we need to address that and we need to do it as quickly as we can.”
When asked how the B.C. government plans to address the health care situation if it receives federal dollars, Horgan said that plan won’t be released until the Ottawa sends the money.
“We’re planning assuming that we don’t get the money, which is what families would do as well in our circumstance,” Horgan said. “The priorities and how we will manage that when it arrives, we’ll tell you when it arrives. But we’re dealing and [Health Minister Adrian] Dix and his team are dealing with the world that we live in and hoping for a better one down the road.”
In recent weeks, hospitals around the province have had to close emergency departments or certain units due to staffing shortages, and Dix said that will have to continue for now.
“When you have fewer staff and they’re affected by for example, someone who’s sick from COVID-19 and for some other reason, that has an impact on some on health care services where it might only be a small handful of people working there, it has a profound effect,” Dix said, noting several hospitals have had to shut wards for short periods including the Royal Inland Hospital’s pediatric and obstetric units.
“Those adjustments are the ones that are made to keep people safe and we’re just gonna we’re gonna continue to do that make those adjustments where we need to.”
Laura Brougham
