The 2000 Budget: Reality Check on Major Federal Transfers to the Provinces and TerritoriesFebruary 28, 2000When it comes to responding to the challenges facing our health care and post-secondary education systems, Canadians don't want blame or finger pointing, they want cooperation and results. Our government is committed to cooperation and we are delivering results. As the table below shows, major federal transfers to the provinces and territories - cash, tax points and equalization - are higher this fiscal year than they were when we first took office.
(Major Transfers in millions of dollars)
Budget 2000 Measures Budget 2000 builds on our record by laying out our 4th consecutive increase in CHST cash transfers - $2.5 billion over four years to help the provinces and territories to address pressing health care and post-secondary education concerns. The transfer will also have the flexibility built in to allow them to draw upon it sooner - should they choose to do so. In the 1999 Budget, alone, we transferred an additional $11.5 billion over 5 years to the provinces and territories for health care - the largest single investment in our government's history. Combined with last year's increase, the Budget 2000 increase means that the cash component of the CHST will reach $15.5 billion in each of the next four years -a 25% increase in just two years. And the total value of the CHST- cash and tax points - will reach an all-time high of $31 billion in 2000-01. In addition to these CHST resources, Equalization for the less prosperous provinces will be $500 million higher than forecast in the 1999 Budget, and transfers to the Territories will be $100 million higher. As the nation's finances continue to improve, we will consider additional funding increases. The Government of Canada: Committed to Quality Public Health Care Our government is steadfastly committed to upholding the five principles of the Canada Health Act -- universality, comprehensiveness, accessibility, portability and public administration. We are committed to continuing to work with our provincial partners - creatively within their respective jurisdictions - to reform and renew Canada's health care system. And it was in just such a cooperative spirit that the Minister of Health invited his provincial and territorial colleagues to meet and discuss priority areas like:
But as the Minister has said, these proposals and the discussions to come are not just about spending more money alone, they are also about finding ways to spend our health care dollars more wisely. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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