Provinces reject Harper-style cuts and tactics

NDP Health Critic, Don Davies, issued the following statement on the Liberal government’s failure to negotiate a new Health Accord:

“Canada’s New Democrats are deeply disappointed that the Liberal government has failed to negotiate a new Health Accord. This represents a major lost opportunity to provide collaborative federal leadership to renew public health care for the 21st century.

After months of issuing ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ ultimatums, the Liberal government has now announced that there are no next steps in the negotiation process. This leaves Canadians without any path forward for improved health care for the foreseeable future.

Provincial and territorial health ministers are accusing the federal government of holding Canadians hostage by offering them an agreement at the eleventh hour that’s even worse than Stephen Harper’s funding formula and far less generous than the Liberals’ own election pledge.

The Liberal platform included a clear commitment to invest $3 billion over four years, starting immediately and independent of Health Accord negotiations. We are now well into the second year of the Liberals’ mandate and they still haven’t committed to earmarking a nickel in new funding for home care.

As our population ages, it’s more important than ever to have a federal government that will defend our public health care system and improve it for generations to come. Canada’s New Democrats are calling on the Liberals to finally end the Harper approach, keep their promise on home care, and begin negotiating a Health Accord in good faith. ”