The Government of Canada and the Yukon Reach Agreement in Principle to Improve Health Services for Canadians

OTTAWA, ON, July 6, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada's universal, accessible and publicly funded healthcare is a point of pride for Canadians. However, health workers across Canada are under enormous strain to deliver the care that Canadian patients deserve. Immediate, collaborative, action is needed to deliver better health care for Canadians.

On February 7, 2023, the Government of Canada announced an investment of close to $200 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding for provinces and territories to improve health care services for Canadians. This funding includes an immediate, unconditional $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up to address immediate pressures on the health care system. The federal government also announced $350 million over 10 years for the Territorial Health Investment Fund in recognition of medical travel and the cost of delivering health care, which includes $100 million for the Yukon.

Today, the Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon are taking the next step by announcing an agreement in principle for a shared plan that will invest $380 million in federal funding over 10 years in the Yukon, including $73 million for a new bilateral agreement focusing on shared health priorities. This investment also includes $171 million in CHT growth since 2022-2023, a guaranteed 5 per cent growth to the CHT for the next five years (expected additional value of $20 million over 10 years), and $2 million through an immediate one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries. This will further help provide Yukon residents with improvements in health care such as: 

• access to high-quality family health services when they need them, including in rural and remote areas, and for underserved communities;
• a resilient and supported health workforce that provides them high-quality, effective, and safe health care services;
• access to timely, equitable, and quality mental health, substance use and addictions services; and
• access to their own electronic health information that is shared between the health professionals they consult.

Helping Canadians age with dignity, closer to home, with access to home care or care in a safe long-term care facility is another shared health priority where collaborative work is already underway.

By reaching an agreement in principle, Canada and the Yukon are committing to the plan laid out on February 7, 2023, and in Budget 2023, which includes shared commitments to collect, use and share depersonalized health information and to inform Canadians of their progress with key common headline indicators. Work will now begin on a bilateral agreement based on an initial 3-year action plan that will detail targets, timelines and additional common indicators related shared health priorities in each jurisdiction.

As part of this collaborative health plan, Canada will work with the Yukon to streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals and advance labour mobility for key health professionals. Furthermore, the Yukon commits to an integrated, inclusive approach to investments in family health teams, health workers, and data and digital tools that will help to meet the health and mental health needs of Canadians.

We will fulfill our shared responsibility to uphold the Canada Health Act that protects Canadians' access to health care that is based on need and not ability to pay. We recognize the right of Indigenous Peoples to fair and equal access to quality and culturally safe health services free from racism and discrimination anywhere in Canada.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we showed that we can work together to tackle big challenges. We will work to deliver outcomes for Canadians and improve the health care system that Canadians value and depend on.

Quotes

"Today's agreement in principle with the Yukon is an opportunity to continue our collaboration and improve the experience of health workers and the health of those they care for. It will modernize our health care system, expanding access to family health services and mental health services, support health workers, and reduce surgical backlogs. Better quality of care means helping Yukon residents and Canadians live longer, healthier lives."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos 
Minister of Health

"Today's agreement in principle with the Yukon builds on our shared objective of ensuring all Canadians, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay, can access the care they need, when they need it. Our government will continue to work with our partners across the country to build a better health care system."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc 
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

"Mental health is health, and through this agreement in principle, we will be working with the Yukon to integrate mental health and substance use care as a full and equal part of our universal health care system. This agreement will help to provide greater access to mental health services, reduce substance use harms, and lower stigma. Together, we must ensure that all Canadians have access to supports and services for their mental health and well-being – when they need them, wherever they need them."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett 
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health

"I am pleased that our negotiations with the Government of Canada have resulted in this significant increase in funding to our territory's health care system. We are all grateful for the dedication and passion of our territory's health care professionals and are pleased that the federal government is supportive of our ongoing efforts to attract internationally-educated health care professionals to the Yukon."

Premier Ranj Pillai  

"The wellbeing of Yukoners is the foundation of a strong and resilient territory. The Agreement in Principle with the Government of Canada will help invest in our shared health priorities. With this support, we can continue to transform our healthcare system by supporting our hard-working healthcare workers, providing greater access to mental health services, reducing substance use harms, and improving the overall health and wellness of all Yukoners."

Government of Yukon Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee 

Associated Links

• Canada.ca/HealthPriorities
• News release: Working together to improve health services for Canadians
• Backgrounder: Working together to improve health care for Canadians

SOURCE Health Canada

Contacts: Guillaume Bertrand, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Jean-Sébastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116; Maja Staka, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, 343-552-5568; Public Enquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709; Media Relations: Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]