Governments of Canada and British Columbia sign agreement to improve health-care services
Canada’s universal, publicly funded health system is a source of pride for Canadians.
The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories to strengthen health care and adapt the system to the changing needs of Canadians.
The governments of Canada and British Columbia have signed a bilateral agreement outlining how the Province plans to invest its share of targeted federal funding. The agreement represents a shift in how the federal and provincial governments work together to advance shared health priorities.
With support from the Government of Canada, the Government of B.C. will invest in a range of initiatives to expand home and community care, and mental-health and addiction services. These include:
- improving the integration of specialized community care programs and primary care networks for adults and seniors with complex medical conditions;
- improving access to, and the responsiveness and quality of, community-based palliative care; and
- implementing a series of early action initiatives designed to take immediate action to address the most-pressing service gaps and pave the way for the Province’s new mental-health and addictions strategy.
Through this agreement, B.C. will invest approximately $394 million in targeted federal funding for home and community care and $262 million for mental health and addictions over five years, as part of a 10-year federal financial commitment of approximately $1.4 billion.
These activities are fully aligned with the objectives and the pan-Canadian priorities set out in the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities endorsed by the federal government, provinces* and territories in August 2017.
Quotes:
Ginette Petitpas Taylor, federal Minister of Health –
“I am pleased that the governments of Canada and B.C. have finalized a bilateral agreement outlining investments in home and community care, and mental health and addiction services. The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and territories so that Canadians can have access to the health services they need.”
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, British Columbia –
“This agreement will provide timely access to home and community care. The goal for seniors is to live healthier and to enjoy better quality of life. Together with the federal government, we are making sure individuals and families have access to quality public health care when they need it.”
Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, British Columbia –
“As Canada’s first Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, we are creating a system of care where you ask for help once and get help fast. As we develop our comprehensive mental-health and addictions strategy, greater access to services and supports for children and youth, working with our First Nations partners and responding to the overdose emergency are the priorities. The key in addressing long ignored service gaps is early intervention and prevention. This investment supports actions underway to create a seamless system of care for all British Columbians.”
Quick Facts:
- In Budget 2017, the Government of Canada committed $11 billion over 10 years in new funding for provinces and territories to improve access to home care and mental-health services for Canadians.
- Canadians will see how targeted federal funding for home care and mental health will be invested in each province and territory, and they will be able to track progress based on a focused set of common indicators being developed.
- In 2021-22, these agreements will be renewed for the remaining five years of the 10-year commitment.
* The federal government has agreed to an asymmetrical arrangement with Quebec, distinct from the Common Statement of Principles.
Learn More:
Read the Common Statement of Principles news release: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2017/08/federal_provincialandterritorialhealthministersagreeoncollaborat.html
Read the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/transparency/health-agreements/principles-shared-health-priorities.html
A backgrounder follows.
Backgrounders
Canada–British Columbia bilateral agreement to improve health-care services
September 2018
The governments of Canada and British Columbia have signed a bilateral agreement outlining how the province plans to invest approximately $656 million in targeted federal funding over five years to improve access to home and community care, and mental health and addiction services. In 2021-22, this agreement will be renewed for the remaining five years of the 10-year commitment.
B.C.’s Action Plan aligns with the objectives and pan-Canadian priorities set out in the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities and will be implemented through a multi-pronged approach.
Home care and community care
Over the next five years, B.C. will strengthen its home and community-care services, including enhancing supports that will allow British Columbians with increasing care needs to stay in their homes as long as possible. Federal funding in this area will focus on:
- The development of specialized community services programs (SCSPs), which will incorporate all services needed by adults with complex conditions/frailty into a single, accessible and efficient program. The programs will focus on easy access and care co-ordination through interdisciplinary teams to meet the needs of clients and their families, in alignment with primary care networks.
- Expanding client access to palliative and end-of-life care services, increasing the availability of expert resources for consultative advice and increasing investments in education, orientation and training for all care providers.
Mental-health and addiction services
British Columbia will use federal funding for mental-health and addiction services to implement a series of early action initiatives to respond to some of the most pressing gaps in the Province’s mental-health and addiction services system. Federal funding in these areas will focus on:
- strengthening the capacity of primary care to respond to mental-health and addiction issues, with a focus on prevention, early intervention, and children and youth;
- expanding access to culturally appropriate and trauma-informed mental-health and addiction services for Indigenous communities throughout B.C.;
- creating a seamless system of mental-health and addictions care, so that people can ask once and get help quickly;
- increasing access for students to mental-health and addictions prevention and early intervention services, and;
- expanding access to evidence-based treatment and recovery options for vulnerable populations.
Federal provincial and territorial collaboration to strengthen health care
Budget 2017 committed $11 billion over 10 years in new federal investments to improve access to mental-health and addiction services as well as to home and community care across Canada. Provinces and territories already received the first year of this funding through a legislated transfer following their endorsement of the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities.* Funding for the remaining years will flow to provinces and territories through a series of bilateral agreements.
The Common Statement of Principles sets out the objectives and pan-Canadian priorities for federal investments in home care and mental health. It commits governments to addressing specific health system gaps and to focusing efforts in areas that will have the greatest impact. Bilateral agreements will set out the details of how federal funding will be used in alignment with the Common Statement of Principles. As of August 2017, provinces and territories accepted their share of the $11 billion in federal health funding.
Provinces and territories have also committed to working collectively and with the Canadian Institute for Health Information to develop a focused set of common indicators to measure progress and report to Canadians.
Federal, provincial and territorial governments have also committed to engaging with regional and national Indigenous leaders on their priorities for improving the health outcomes of Indigenous peoples.
* The federal government has agreed to an asymmetrical arrangement with Quebec, distinct from the Common Statement of Principles.
NT5
