Letter to Premier Mike Harris (Health Care)

September 5, 2000
Ottawa, Ontario

Attached is the text of a letter sent today by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to Ontario Premier Mike Harris in response to his letter on health care.

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PMO Press Office: (613) 957-555

Dear Premier:

Thank you for your letter of September 1, 2000, regarding reporting and accountability to Canadians on the performance of health programs.

It is clear that the Government of Ontario is making good progress in public reporting and accountability to its citizens, and has plans to further enhance its efforts. One of the key objectives of Canadians for a health agreement by First Ministers is a need to extend accountability to system performance in a more comprehensive way and, in so doing, solidify the commitment by governments to using comparable indicators. This would permit us to learn from one another’s best practices and experience within a flexible health regime. I view the approach you outline in your letter as being consistent with this objective.

In my view, there is much common ground between our respective governments on this matter. The material which my officials sent to you in recent days tries to capture in an accountability framework the kinds of practical indicators Ontario has used, and plans to use in the future.

As you know, federal, provincial and territorial Deputy Ministers of Health will be meeting tomorrow. It would be helpful if we, and other First Ministers, instruct them to work constructively to draft text that would capture the spirit and intent of your positive proposal and this letter. It would be helpful if you could encourage other First Ministers to adopt this approach. It is my hope, as well, that our officials have similar instructions to take the same cooperative approach in drafting other aspects of the health agreement.

I remain confident that First Ministers will be in a position to approve an agreement on health, including financing, when we meet on September 11, 2000. Given that you have released your letter publicly, I am releasing my reply and providing a copy of our exchange of letters to all Premiers and Government Leaders for their information.

Yours sincerely,

(ORIGINAL SIGNED BY THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE JEAN CHRÉTIEN)

c.c. Premiers and Government Leaders