B.C. premier keeping an 'open mind' on eve of historic health summit in Ottawa

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with with the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

For more than two years, Canada’s premiers have been asking for a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss a new healthcare funding model – and on Tuesday the group will finally get two hours of face time in Ottawa.

“We’re not coming into this discussion with any red lines. We’re coming in with an open mind and want to see what the Prime Minister is going to present,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said.

“Our core goal here is to make sure British Columbians have the healthcare they deserve and that we have a federal partner that’s there for British Columbians as well.”

The premiers have been asking Ottawa to increase its share of the Canada Health Transfer from 22 percent to 35 percent.

Trudeau has signalled he will propose a substantial increase at the meeting but has not offered specific numbers.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, who sits as the chair of the Council of the Federation made up of all 13 provincial and territorial premiers, expressed frustration the proposal was not shared with premiers in advance of the meeting.

“If we had had it ahead of time we probably could have had a more fulsome discussion tomorrow. There’s no question about that,” said Stefanson.

CTV News has learned there will likely be two components in the proposal offered by the federal government.

The first will include an increase to the CHT – but exactly how much has not been revealed.

The second component will include 13 separate bi-lateral deals negotiated to the specific needs of each jurisdiction.

It is within those bi-lateral deals that the feds are expected to lay out their demands for concessions from the provinces and territories as conditions for increased funding.

“The division between the bi-lateral piece and the health transfer is going to be a key part of the discussion around the table for the premiers. For British Columbia what we are looking for is a federal partner that’s there for us on the core healthcare system,” said Eby.

“But we are also looking at expansion of the health-care system, especially around mental health and addiction, around our home care and supporting seniors with long-term care.”

Monday evening, the premiers met behind closed doors for a strategy session on the historic meeting, but whether they can present a united front while each negotiating their own deals with Ottawa remains to be seen -- although Eby is optimistic.

“All the premiers have been working together to get the prime minister to the table to have these discussions,” he said.

Stefanson has indicated she does not expect any final agreements to be signed at the meeting but hopes it will bring about significant progress in the effort to improve Canadian healthcare.