Jagmeet Singh urges the federal government to improve health care for Canadians

OTTAWA — Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging the Liberal government to increase the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) to the provinces and territories struggling to recover from the pandemic. Singh is meeting with British Columbia Premier John Horgan today to discuss the urgent need for help from the federal government so that provinces and territories can hire more frontline health care workers and reduce wait times for patients needing health care services.

“The last two years of the pandemic have been incredibly difficult. Frontline health care workers have worked to exhaustion to keep us safe and healthy. They’re burnt out and the staff shortages that existed before the pandemic are getting even worse,” said Singh. “These workers and all Canadians deserve a federal government who has their backs. That’s why New Democrats are again calling on the Liberal government to increase the Canada Health Transfer so that provinces and territories can increase the number of staff who are taking care of us when we need them most.”

For the past seven years, Justin Trudeau has maintained the cuts to the Canada Health Transfer that the Harper government put in place. As more services are privatized and cut across the country, New Democrats have been urging the Liberal government to restore health care funding to ensure provinces and territories have enough beds for patients, more staff to address shortages and improved diagnostic services that save lives.

“People across the country have been through so much during the pandemic and they need to know that the health care services they depend on will be there when they need them,” said Singh. “Justin Trudeau chose to maintain the cuts to health care that Stephen Harper put in place and Canadians are paying the price. Now health care systems across the country can’t keep up with the demand. Canadians can’t wait any longer—he has to show leadership and get more help to the provinces and territories so they can hire more health care workers, cut down on wait times for patients and improve services for all Canadians.”