Canada’s Premiers are calling for a meeting with the Prime Minister after talks over an increase in federal health care funding broke down.
Health Ministers from both jurisdictions gathered in Vancouver on Monday for two days of meetings, which had appeared to be going well after day one.
But the second day not only ended without an agreement, but also with federal representatives abandoning plans for a joint communique and press conference.
Federal officials had hoped to finalize an agreement on two Pan-Canada plans to support health care workers, and a digital data collection network.
But Federal Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says that last minute interference from the Premiers squashed their plans.
He says that his provincial colleagues received marching orders to not advance those plans until Ottawa agreed to increase funding.
For months, the Premiers have been lobbying for an increase in federal health transfer contributions from 22 percent to 35 percent.
On Monday, Duclos said he was willing to discuss an unspecified increase, if the provinces committed to the other plans.
But, before today’s meetings had wrapped up, the Premiers had already issued a joint statement saying no progress had been made at the meetings.
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