Canada’s health care deal: A look at the numbers and the provinces on board so far
The federal government is injecting tens of billions of dollars into Canada’s struggling health care systems, but before they can acquire all the money, provinces and territories have to agree to some conditions about how they’ll use it. Almost all provinces have signed their bilateral deals, with Quebec and the territories to follow. Check back here to see how much each deal is worth.
Choose a jurisdiction • N.L. • PEI • N.B. • N.S. • Que. • Ont. • Man. • Sask. • Alta. • B.C. • Territories • First Nations
What are the provinces agreeing to, exactly?
On Feb. 7, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised his provincial and territorial counterparts $46.2-billion in new health care funding over 10 years, including an immediate $2-billion top-up to the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). Combined with previous funding pledges, that adds up to $196-billion over 10 years, far short of the $300-billion that premiers wanted. But for hospital systems shaken by the pandemic, any sum is an improvement, so the premiers reluctantly said yes. “We’re going to look at investing those dollars in our health care and so we will accept this, and move on from here,” said Manitoba’s Heather Stefanson, chair of the Council of the Federation.
B.C.
Have they signed? Yes, an agreement in principle was announced on March 1.
The numbers: B.C. will receive a total of $27.47-billion in federal funding over 10 years, including $3.32-billion for the new bilateral agreement and $273-million through the one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs.
Ontario
Have they signed? Yes, an agreement in principle was announced on Feb. 23.
The numbers: Ontario will receive a total of $73.97-billion in federal funding over 10 years, including $8.413-billion for the new bilateral agreement and $776-million through the one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs.
Alberta
Have they signed? Yes, an agreement in principle was announced on Feb. 27.
The numbers: Alberta will receive a total of $24.18-billion in federal funding over 10 years, including $2.92-billion for the new bilateral agreement and $233-million through the one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs.