The Speech From the Throne: Investing in Quality Care and Good Health

For decades, the Canadian health care system has been a source of pride for Canadians. It is one of our proudest national achievements. Our single-payer, publicly financed system is the best.

At the same time, Canadians are concerned about the present state and the future of our medicare system. They are worried that the high quality of health care they have come to expect will not been there for them when they need it in the future.

With the nation's finances in good shape, we will soon be in a position to make choices and investments that support this Canadian priority.

During the election campaign, we announced that in a new mandate we would introduce legislation to increase from previously budgeted levels the guaranteed annual cash payments to the provinces and territories under the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) to 12.5 billion a year. And we will do that in our new mandate.

With the CHST increase, the cash payments and entitlements due to the provinces and territories will rise by $700 million in 1998-99, $1.4 billion in 1999-00 and 2000-01, $1.3 billion in 2001-02, and $1.2 billion in 2002-03.

ENHANCING MEDICARE

Medicare was introduced and developed by a succession of Liberal governments. It is a cherished legacy that we will never abandon.

We are firmly committed to a publicly administered, comprehensive health care system that provides universal access to high quality care for Canadians anywhere in the country.

We have a clear leadership role to play in preserving and enhancing medicare. And we have a constructive role to play as a partner with provinces and other interested parties in meeting the new needs of the future and responding to emerging health care issues. We will play that role in a spirit of openness, pragmatism and innovation.

Working with our partners we will:

• take measures to support Canadians in responding to the expanding need for home care and community care.
• develop a national plan, timetable and a fiscal framework for providing Canadians with better access to medically necessary drugs.
• improve the quality and effectiveness of health services across Canada by establishing the Health Transition Fund to help the provincial governments innovate in the areas of primary care and provide more integration in the delivery of health services, and innovate in home care and pharmacare.

  PROMOTING HEALTH

  Canadians also know that the state of their personal health depends on much more than the availability of quality health care. The social and economic conditions under which people live have a strong effect on the status of their health.

  Some of the most urgent health problems today are found in Aboriginal communities. We will work with other partners and Aboriginal communities to:

PROMOTING HEALTH

Canadians also know that the state of their personal health depends on much more than the availability of quality health care. The social and economic conditions under which people live have a strong effect on the status of their health.

Some of the most urgent health problems today are found in Aboriginal communities. We will work with other partners and Aboriginal communities to:

• develop new initiatives to address the rapid increase in tuberculosis and diabetes in Aboriginal communities; and
• enhance research and dissemination of health information focused on the needs of Aboriginal people through a new Aboriginal Health Institute.

To meet other pressing health concerns, we will expand the Canadian breast cancer initiative, renew the national HIV-AIDS strategy, and double the resources for the tobacco reduction strategy, with a particular focus on community-based programs to prevent young Canadians from starting to smoke and to encourage smokers to quit.

We will also work in partnership to improve Canadian health information systems to improve decision making about health and health care across the country.