Canada’s premiers disappointed in lack of federal funds for struggling health systems

OTTAWA — Canada’s premiers say they’re disappointed the federal government didn’t put forward a sustainable plan to financially shore up the country’s ailing health systems in its newly tabled budget. 

Premiers have been calling for the health minister to negotiate a new deal for how much the federal government will pay into health care in Canada, with an immediate increase of about $28 billion. 

The federal budget included $12 billion more than expected over five years for provincial health transfers, but only because the economic outlook is better than expected.

The government also pledged $2 billion in one-time funding to help health systems work through the massive surgical backlogs that accumulated during the pandemic.