Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Part 4, division 9, relates to the government's commitment in budget 2017 to work with provinces and territories to strengthen the health care system to adapt and innovate and address new challenges. It confirms the offer that was tabled by the federal government on December 19, 2016 to provide $11.5 billion over 10 years to the provinces to support key priorities under a new health accord including $11 billion to be provided directly to the provinces and territories to support improvements for mental health and home care services.
Clause 195 outlines the authorities and the conditions to flow funds for the first year of this $11-billion commitment, in 2017-18 to provinces and territories, as an immediate down payment on investments in home care and mental health. That is $200 million for home care services and $100 million for mental health services. Those would be allocated on an equal per capita basis.
As set out in the proposed amendment, a province or territory will receive its share of this funding in 2017-18 if the federal Minister of Health notifies the Minister of Finance before December 15, 2017 that, in her opinion, that province or territory has accepted the federal proposal to strengthen health care that was tabled at the finance and health ministers' meeting on December 19, 2016.
This December proposal envisaged a pan-Canadian approach and that provinces and territories would work with the federal government to determine how to measure and report on results and performance to improve these services to Canadians. The Minister of Health is now engaging with her provincial and territorial colleagues on the details of how this future funding would flow. She is also working with them to develop a multilateral framework for the 10 years of funding, which would include commitments to develop metrics and report to citizens, as well as outline their key priorities for action.
This multilateral framework would then be used as the basis for individual bilateral agreements with each of the provinces and territories for funding for the next nine years.
I'd be happy to take your questions.