Dear Editor:
Re: New Health Accord Urged, April 3 news story.
For your readers’ benefit, I want to take this opportunity to highlight our government’s position on this important issue, which was not included in the original published article.
To be clear, since coming to office in 2006, there have been no federal cuts to health care. In fact, our government has increased health transfers to the provinces through the Canada Health Transfer by nearly 70 percent. Health Canada further announced in December 2011 that the CHT will continue to grow at six per cent annually until 2016-17.
Our government is delivering record funding that will reach $40 billion annually by the end of the decade. This means $4.4 billion for British Columbians in 2015-2016, or 13 per cent of total spending; this is more than any other province receives except for Quebec and Ontario.
This not only provides immense resources to ensure the wellbeing of Canadians nationwide, it also gives each provincial and territorial government the stability and predictability they need to implement health plans that suit their diverse populations.
Ultimately, while the federal government transfers money to the provinces, we respect the provinces’ constitutional jurisdiction over health care and the administration of its programs and services. It is important to note that since 2010, spending by the provinces grew by less than three per cent. This means that our federal transfers are increasing at a rate of double that of provincial spending.
I certainly sympathize with doctors, nurses and other health-care practitioners who, like many Canadians, have to deal with high demands while working with finite resources. I also understand that throwing more money at this issue will not address inefficiencies in the health system.
What we need is more innovation in health, technology, and models of care; this is a significant public policy challenge that the Government of Canada is committed to working with the provinces to address. The health and safety of all Canadians remains our top priority.
Andrew Saxton
Member of Parliament for North Vancouver
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