08/03/2019
Here’s the truth about federal healthcare transfers and misleading Conservative gimmicks.
This post is misleading and demonstrates why people don’t trust politicians.
This Conservative “guarantee” offers nothing to Canadians that doesn’t already exist. Andrew Scheer’s so-called plan to increase funding by “at least 3%” each year is less than the amount already being transferred to the provinces.
Playing cheap politics with the health of Canadians, as the Conservatives have done here, is highly inappropriate and pushes the bounds of what could reasonably be considered honest.
I’ve been knocking doors, taking meetings, and making phone calls to hear from our community members over the past four years. Health care is undoubtedly the issue I hear about most. People are concerned about a shortage of family doctors, a lack of mental health services, emergency room closures, and whether they can access basic services.
Most people know that the day-to-day administration of our health care system is the responsibility of the provincial government under our Constitution. However, the federal government transfers money to the provinces for the delivery of health care.
The main problem with the Conservatives’ new “plan” is that the “stable and predictable” funding they promise already exists.
Our Government has made the largest ever transfer of federal money to Nova Scotia for health care in the history of our province, which exceeded $1 Billion for the first time this year. Under that agreement, the federal government has agreed to increase the value of the annual transfer by 3% each year for 10 years.
On top of that transfer, we are investing approximately $288 Million in Nova Scotia alone for two specific areas: in-home care for seniors and mental health. The combined effect of these additional investments means the federal government’s transfer already increases by around 4.1% each year for 10 years.
The Conservative “guarantee” only commits to maintaining the existing formula for the general transfer of funds, but it leaves the new increased funding for home care and mental health in limbo. It isn’t right to leave vulnerable members of our community with such uncertainty.
This post doesn’t come out and say that the “stable and predictable” funding model represents more money, but it certainly invites the reader to make that conclusion, or at least the conclusion that there is something new here. This isn’t honest.
It is unfortunate we are seeing this kind of misleading Conservative messaging being parroted at the local level. Nova Scotians deserve an honest conversation about the federal government’s role in promoting the health of Canadians and how each federal party or local representative will contribute to these important debates.
The fact is, the Conservative Party of Canada’s strategy for four years has been to mislead Canadians about our Government’s measures on almost every file. This party, which consistently operates on the margins of the truth, is a deeply different organization than the provincial Progressive Conservatives in Nova Scotia. I don’t mind honest disagreement in politics. It is a healthy part of debate that strengthens our democracy. But Canadians deserve better than misrepresentations and criticism from a person who wants to be Prime Minister. They deserve new ideas that can transform our nation for the better.
I look forward to having an honest debate about each party’s plan for Canada and the priorities of the local candidates as we get into the upcoming campaign here in Central Nova. In the meantime, we shouldn’t be trying to trick voters into supporting our campaigns. It is the very least they should expect from those of us who have put our name on the ballot.
Sincerely,
Sean
Addendum:
In addition to the transfer of funds to the provinces for the delivery of care, which is the subject of this post, the federal government has the ability to make additional investments in the health of Canadians by, for example, investing in health research, or improving the social determinants of health. For those of you wondering how else the federal government has invested in health over the past few years, I thought I’d include a few examples (the list is not exhaustive). More details about our plan looking forward will be released as part of our platform in advance of the next federal election.
Examples of federal investments in health over the past four years:
Investing in Health Research
• Making historic investments in health research by contributing $354 Million over 5 years to the Canadian Institute of Health Research.
• Investing $150 Million in matching funds towards cancer research in partnership with the Terry Fox Foundation.
National Pharmacare
• Creation of the Canada Drug Agency to help bring down the cost of prescription medication.
• Allocating $500 Million toward the cost of medication for rare diseases.
• Acceptance of Report on Implementation of National Pharmacare system by Dr. Eric Hoskins (next steps to follow).
Investing in measures that help alleviate poverty
• Implementing the Canada Child Benefit, which gives more money to families who need it.
• Creating a $40 Billion National Housing Strategy that is on track to reduce homelessness by 50% by 2030.
• Partnering with provincial governments to invest in child care and early childhood education.
• Boosting the Guaranteed Income Supplement for vulnerable low-income single seniors by 10% (up to $947 a year).
Improved Tax Treatment and Social Supports for certain health-related items
• Extending Compassionate Care EI Benefits to 6 months for those who take time from work to care for a loved one.
• Reducing tax burden for infertility treatments
• Reducing tax burden on certain foot care products
• Reducing tax burden on collaborative care services
• Changing the relationship between the Disability Tax Credit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan, so you are no longer forced to close an RDSP if you become ineligible for the DTC.
Issue specific national programs:
• Investing $50 Million toward a national action plan for PTSD in veterans and First Responders
• Implementing a National Dementia Strategy for the first time in Canadian history backed by an investment of $50 Million.
• The creation of a $25 Million National Su***de Prevention Line.
• Addressing the Opioid Crisis by investing in evidence-based harm reduction initiatives.
• $20 Million toward better understanding of how to support families that have a member living with autism.
• Investing more than $100 Million towards reducing Gender Based Violence.
Improved Food Policy
• Creating a new science-based Canada Food Guide.
• Implementing a National School Food Program to encourage healthy eating for students.
• Investing $50 Million toward local food infrastructure, such as Farmers’ Markets and Food Banks.
Investing in Infrastructure to Improve the Social Determinants of Health
• Record investments in recreational infrastructure to strengthen communities and encourage physical activity.
• Largest ever investment in public transit, which disproportionately benefits low-income households, individuals living with disabilities, and seniors.
