Editor, The Times:
There has been a great deal of misinformation circulating recently regarding the future of health care funding. It is time to set the record straight. Our Government respects the Canada Health Act, and is committed to our publicly funded, universally accessible health care system. There will not be cuts to health care as there were under the Liberals in the 1990s.
The Canada Health Transfer (CHT) has been set to increase by six per cent a year to support provincial healthcare budgets. In comparison, this year the BC healthcare budget will be increasing by 2.6 per cent In 2006-07, when our Government first took office, the CHT was $20.1 billion dollars, it is now set to reach a record high of $30.3 billion in 2013-14 and in the future no province or territory will receive less than its 2013-14 CHT cash allocation in future years. Under our Government the CHT is expected to reach at least $38 billion in 2018-19 – this is in no way a funding cut.
Starting in 2017-18, total CHT cash will grow in line with a three-year moving average of nominal Gross Domestic Product, with funding guaranteed to increase by at least three per cent per year- again, not a funding cut.
We will continue to provide comparable treatment for all Canadians, regardless of where they live. The CHT will ensure funding remains predictable in the long-term, and supports the principles of the Canada Health Act which are: universality; comprehensiveness; portability; accessibility; and, public administration.
We are committed to helping Canadians stay healthy, making the health care system more accessible and effective, and ensuring that all Canadians can access the care they need.
Cathy McLeod, MP
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo
