The federal government announced their proposal for investing in the health-care system, which includes increased funding for the Canada Health Transfer as well as the initiation of bilateral agreements with provinces and territories for further investments. Collaboration with provinces and territories will focus on four health priorities: expanding access to family health services, supporting health-care workers and reducing backlogs, improving access to mental health and substance use services, and modernizing the standardization of health data and tools.
“We are pleased to see proposed federal investment in key areas of concern for nurses and health-care workers across Canada, and recognize this as a first step in addressing the gaps in the health-care system,” said Sylvain Brousseau, president of CNA. “We are encouraged by the increase in funding and the focus on accountability through better data and outcomes for patients and communities, mental health, and the dedicated funding for an Indigenous health equity fund. These measures will go a long way to building a stronger health-care system.”
However, Canada’s health-care system continues to face many increasing pressures that threaten its sustainability. Collaboration from all levels of government and concrete action toward meaningful health system modernization are needed to tackle these challenges. “Nurses across Canada are in need of support and resources to address the critical shortages and gaps in service. CNA urges all governments to move quickly to finalize bilateral agreements, with key indicators for creating a sustainable health-care workforce,” said Tim Guest, CEO of CNA. “While CNA is encouraged by the federal government’s commitment to prioritizing health-care workers, the need for a pan-Canadian health human resource (HHR) strategy and urgent action to address critical nursing shortages were not clearly addressed.”