QUEBEC — Premier Philippe Couillard should rally the provinces that have not signed a deal with Ottawa over health-care funding to keep up the fight for a better deal, the leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec says.
But Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette suggested the battle is already all but lost because public pressure for a better deal never materialized, leaving Ottawa a free hand to smash the provincial coalition he helped create.
The result, Barrette said, will be a lack of funding, which means less access for years to come.
“When you lower your funding, there are consequences,” Barrette told reporters. “They, in Ottawa, do not care about Canadians and they are there to reduce their participation in health care.
“The consequence to that is that we will have less access. It’s as plain as day. There is nothing more to say. If the population agrees with that, they agree with that.”
The debate came as the clock ticks toward both the federal and Quebec spring budgets and the sticky issue of health-care funding — billions are involved — remains unresolved.
Last week British Columbia became the latest province to reach a health-care funding deal with Ottawa. Originally the provinces had banded together to push for a national agreement with annual increases of 5.2 per cent.
The talks broke down and the common front splintered. Today, only Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba have not signed an agreement.
Rising in question period Tuesday at the National Assembly, CAQ Leader François Legault urged Couillard to step up to the plate. He said the remaining provinces still represent 75 per cent of the Canadian population and that is a powerful bargaining chip.
“Has the premier already given up the fight,” Legault asked? “Does he have a plan?”
Couillard responded that if he was in talks with other premiers or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau he was not about to tell Legault.
But Barrette, who was a key figure in rallying the provinces, said the decisions about funding are now out of his hands and being handled higher up.
He expressed regrets that B.C. and other provinces caved in.
“They were all signed either under pressure, threats or side deals,” said Barrette. “In every situation, including B.C., it was decided above health ministers.”
Barrette also recently launched one of his famous twitter wars over the issue.
https://twitter.com/PhilipAuthier
