Thank you, Chairperson and members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. My name is Steven Staples. I am the national director of policy and advocacy for the Canadian Health Coalition, and I am soon to be joined by my colleague, board member and economist Keith Newman.
The Canadian Health Coalition was founded in 1979 to defend and expand public medicare in Canada. We are composed of frontline health care workers, unions, community groups and experts.
I am delighted to speak to you on the topic of the current state of fiscal federalism in Canada. The aspect we would like to address today is public health care spending. Today we would like to make three recommendations to the government through this committee: first, that the federal government must oppose increased reliance upon for-profit delivery of health care services; second, that the federal government should increase its funding to provinces and territories while ensuring accountability and outcomes for health care dollars; and third, that the federal government should deliver on its long-promised health care programs, especially a national universal pharmacare program.
Let's take these step by step. The Canadian Health Coalition is very concerned by statements made and actions taken by some premiers to the effect that they intend to devote more public dollars to private, for-profit health care providers. While these measures are occurring within their respective jurisdictions, the federal government is not a bystander. The government must state its opposition to this for-profit direction clearly and strongly, and take action by using the tools at its disposal to defend public medicare. This starts with increasing enforcement of the Canada Health Act's principles and conditions, which govern funding to the provinces through the Canada health transfer, or CHT.
The impasse between the federal government and the provinces and territories over funding formulas is preventing urgently needed action to address the crisis faced by patients, families and health care workers.
We support the call for more funding for health care by all levels of government. The federal government should increase its funding to provinces and territories. At the same time, federal dollars should not come without strings, and we expect accountability from the provinces and territories for health care dollars. Premiers should not use federal health care dollars for non-health care spending, such as tax cuts or rebates, and certainly they should not decrease their health care spending after receiving more federal dollars.
Along with increasing funding through the CHT, the federal government must work with provinces to ensure improved outcomes for people in Canada, and this can be accomplished by establishing new, long-promised universal programs such as pharmacare. Pharmacare, in particular, will create savings through reduced drug costs, which now account for as much health care spending as doctors do. Furthermore, public universal pharmacare will reduce the strain on our system. Full prescriptions mean empty emergency rooms.
Finally, we would like to suggest that the path through this crisis can be found in the commitments made by the government in its accord with the NDP. The confidence and supply agreement—or the CASA, as we call it—has four important health care commitments: public dental care, universal pharmacare, health care investments, and safe long-term care. Most, if not all, of these will require co-operation between the federal and provincial governments.
If it were negotiated alongside a commitment for increased CHT funding, which the provinces have been requesting, we can see the potential for a “grand bargain” on health care. The federal government would provide more health care funding. In exchange, provinces and territories would co-operate on new programs such as pharmacare. Parts of this bargain must include a focus on building our public health care system and not increasing the corrosive effects of for-profit delivery.
Thank you for inviting the Canadian Health Coalition to present today. We look forward to your questions.