Public opinion pushed provinces, Ottawa into alignment over health care, N.B. premier says – CBC

Two sides appear to be targeting potential deal next month

Jan 22, 2023

New Brunswick’s premier says public pressure has been the key factor in recent progress toward a deal on health-care funding between the federal government and provinces.

Blaine Higgs said in an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live that he was optimistic premiers and the federal government would be able to meet to sign a deal in February. The two sides face a time crunch to get a deal done so that any new changes can be reflected in a spring federal budget.

But as negotiations have dragged on, Canadians have witnessed a series of high-profile instances of failures in the health-care system, including long delays, ER closures and even deaths of Canadians waiting for care.

“The public are expecting a better health-care system in our respective provinces…. They expect if we’re putting more money in the system we have to see results,” Higgs told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/public-opinion-health-care-funding-1.6722419