Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott speaks during a federal, provincial and territorial health ministers' meeting in Toronto on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Republished October 18, 2016 - 3:52 PM
Original Publication Date October 18, 2016 - 2:25 PM
OTTAWA - Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and her provincial and territorial counterparts are at odds over how much Ottawa should shell out for health-care funding over the coming years.
A primary sticking point has been the federal government's stated intention to proceed with cutting annual increases in health transfers to the provinces in half to three per cent. Here are some numbers that provide a look at public-sector health spending and funding in Canada:
$36 billion: Total federal health transfers to the provinces and territories in 2016-17, according to Finance Department numbers. The transfers are treated as government revenues, like income taxes, and are added to each jurisdiction's general pool of cash.
1.5 per cent: Projected public-sector expenditure growth between 2014 and 2015 by the provinces, according to the most-recent annual spending report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
2.7 per cent: Annual average growth in public-sector health spending by provinces between 2011 and 2015, according to the group's data. (The figures for 2014 and 2015 are forecasts.) CIHI says the decline is largely a reflection of Canada's modest economic growth after the 2009 recession, which led to fiscal belt-tightening by governments.
7.2 per cent: Annual average growth in public-sector health spending by provinces between 1998 and 2010, according to CIHI data.
$144 billion: Total projected public-sector health spending by provinces in 2015, the CIHI says.
Here's a rundown of projected public-sector health spending growth between 2014 and 2015 for each province and territory:
Newfoundland and Labrador: 3.1 per cent
Prince Edward Island: 1.3 per cent
Nova Scotia: 2.5 per cent
New Brunswick: 1.7 per cent
Quebec: 0.5 per cent
Ontario: 0.7 per cent
Manitoba: 3.5 per cent
Saskatchewan: 2.6 per cent
Alberta: 1.9 per cent
British Columbia: 3.4 per cent
Yukon: 12 per cent
Northwest Territories: 11.4 per cent
Nunavut: 0.4 per cent
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016