Canada’s Prime Minister has a list of priorities for federal health funding to the provinces and territories. Justin Trudeau says there will be an increase of funding from the current 22 per cent share, but he adds that the federal government has some priorities they want addressed. They include better use of electronic information and data to make sure it supports a better quality of care, more family doctors, less time on waiting lists, better support for health care professionals as they enter the work force and stay in the work force and better mental health care. Final decisions won’t be made today (Tues). Trudeau says conversations will continue over the coming weeks.

Official Opposition Leader, Carla Beck says any proposal from the federal government needs to respect provincial control over healthcare and have flexibility to meet Saskatchewan’s health system needs. She states that funding needs to be directed to the front lines in consultation with the experts instead of being used to expand what Beck calls “American-style for profit healthcare” which Beck suggests has led to doubled wait times for MRIs and has added more than 7,000 people to the surgery wait list.