Premier Doug Ford is in Victoria this week, where Canada’s premiers have called on the federal government to increase its share of health care spending. But back in Ontario, the NDP and Liberals say the Ford government must also commit to spending more within the province to maintain critical health services. “We need increased federal health care transfers — but Premier Doug Ford must promise to start spending an actionable amount on health care,” interim NDP Leader Peter Tabuns said in a written statement. In a press release, the Opposition New Democrats pointed to a recent fiscal watchdog report that found Ontario spends less on health per capita than other provinces. An April report by Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office on fiscal outcomes in the first year of the pandemic found that the province’s total program spending per person in 2020 was the lowest in Canada, with the smallest amount in health spending.
The calls come as some ERs are tense
That report also noted that Ontario “has consistently had among the lowest levels of per capita health spending in the country” since 2008, when the first comparable data is available. Tabuns said the province should spend more on health as emergency rooms report temporary closures due to staff shortages and patients face long wait times for services. The provincial Liberals made a similar call Tuesday, saying the government should spend more resources on recruiting and retaining staff, as well as sending more resources to community health centers and primary care so people don’t turn to ERs as last resort when they cannot access care. Liberal House Leader John Fraser said his party is criticizing Ford for not taking action on health spending over the past four years, not for advocating for more federal support. The politicians’ calls come after municipal leaders also sounded the alarm about the temporary closure of emergency hospitals in Ontario. Hospitals have said the shutdowns are due to staff shortages, and health workers’ groups have blamed the situation on workers leaving the field due to burnout after years of pandemic workloads.
The province says it has an “ambitious plan” to rebuild the health system
Newly elected Toronto Liberal Adil Shamji, who is also an emergency room doctor, said the government has not laid out a clear plan to respond to the dire emergency situation. “We call on Doug Ford and his government to work as hard as Ontario’s health care workers to solve the crisis unfolding right now in our hospitals,” he said. “We know a long-term strategy is needed. But patients and families need a relief valve right now, this summer.” A spokesman for the health minister said the government has an “ambitious plan” to rebuild and repair the health system, pointing to spending plans to add more hospital beds and hire more health workers, including internationally trained professionals. Steven Warner also accused the previous Liberal government of neglecting the health system, which was “stretched to its limits during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Health care funding has dominated discussions at Canada’s premiers’ meeting. The group this week called on the federal government to increase its share of health care funding to 35 percent from the existing 22 percent.
