Tuesday September 27, 2022 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Concerns about health care have been top of mind for Canada’s Premiers since their annual meeting here in Victoria in July.
BC Premier John Horgan chaired the July 2022 Council of the Federation (COF) meeting, and vice-chair was Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson.
Canada’s Premiers met today by teleconference to discuss the health care concerns of Canadians and the pressing need for a meeting with the Prime Minister to put health care on a sustainable path.
Trudeau has repeatedly said he will meet with the premiers about health care, but has repeatedly indicated that additional funds would be tied to certain conditions and outcomes. When in Greater Victoria in April, Trudeau commented on the conditional aspect of increasing the Canada Health Transfer, in response to a question from Island Social Trends.
Stefanson now chairing COF:
At the conclusion of the meeting, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson assumed the Chair of the Council of the Federation. All Premiers extended their deep appreciation to outgoing Chair, British Columbia Premier John Horgan, for his exemplary leadership and service to the country over the past year.
“On behalf of all Premiers, I thank Premier Horgan for his outstanding leadership and commitment throughout his time as Chair,” said Premier Stefanson.
John Horgan will be stepping down as premier of his NDP government this fall, but remaining as the MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca until the next election.
Advancing shared priorities:
Canada’s Premiers are united in their commitment to advancing critical shared priorities through effective intergovernmental cooperation.
“I look forward to working closely with all of my colleagues over the next year – on establishing a new and sustainable health care funding partnership with the federal government through the Canada Health Transfer for all Canadians, on the affordability burdens being faced across the country, and on the unprecedented labour shortages challenging all provinces and territories,” added Premier Stefanson.
2023 COF in Winnipeg:
Premier Stefanson also announced that Manitoba will host the next summer meeting of Canada’s Premiers from July 10-12, 2023 in Winnipeg.
The Council of the Federation comprises all 13 provincial and territorial Premiers. It enables Premiers to work collaboratively, form closer ties, foster constructive relationships among governments, and show leadership on important issues that matter to Canadians.
Due to the ongoing election in Québec, Premier Legault was unable to participate in today’s conference call.
Atlantic Canada:
Premiers began their September 27 meeting by expressing their support for the hundreds of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada and Québec who have been affected by Hurricane Fiona. They praised the dedication of local citizens and expressed gratitude to first responders and to all others whose work contributes to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends has been covering news of the west shore of Vancouver Island since 2008. That started with MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), which evolved into the weekly print Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), followed by the weekly print/PDF West Shore Voice News (2014-2020).
All of that then morphed into the fully online digital news-magazine Island Social Trends covering news of the south Vancouver Island region, with an eye to British Columbia news and national issues.
From the start, a socioeconomic lens has been applied to news coverage and commentary, as a way for the community to better know and reflect upon itself.
Founding editor and publisher of the entire series including Island Social Trends is Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR.
Premium subscribers welcome to sign up for the Island Social Trends ENews Digest and access to the news archive (2018 online, and pre-2018 in print/PDF).