PM signals he considers health care a provincial matter.
by SGNews staff
OTTAWA, November 27, 2012 (Straight Goods News) — Liberal leader Bob Rae questioned Stephen Harper about his government's commitment to public health care in Question Period today.
"As many as three million Canadians have no coverage at all with respect to the cost of pharmaceutical drugs and another three million only have coverage for the catastrophic cost. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research have identified inadequate drug coverage as the next issue that has to be dealt with by the first ministers. I wonder if the Prime Minister would agree that in a health accord that needs to happen in 2014 the question of drug coverage will be front and centre in terms of the position of the Government of Canada," said Rae.
Harper responded: "The federal government recognizes the jurisdiction of the provinces over much of the health care system. At the same time, we do continue to transfer money to the provinces for that health care system. In fact, in recent years we have been transferring money for health care to provinces much faster than their own budgets are growing. We will continue to uphold our responsibilities in this area."
Bob Rae questions Stephen Harper's commitment to a federal role in care in the 2014 health accord
Later, when Straight Goods News asked Rae to interpret Harper's response, he said, "What I make of the response on the health accord is the Prime Minister doesn't give a fig about health care. He doesn't think it's a federal responsibility and I think that when he says that is isn't a federal responsibility that will come as news to Canadians who think it is a federal responsibility or a shared responsibility between different levels of government. It's a compact between Canadians and it is a compact which he is breaking by the ideological approach which he is taking."
© Copyright 2012 SGNews Staff, All rights Reserved. Written For: StraightGoods.ca
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