HALIFAX – A small crowd gathered at Victoria Park in Halifax, Monday, to call on all levels of government to negotiate a new Health Accord.
The Halifax rally was one of 43 held across the country.
The 2004 agreement, which included a $41 billion transfer of federal money to the provinces and territories, expired on March 31 and critics say the federal government has been unwilling to negotiate a new one.
The federal government has said health transfers will continue to grow at six per cent a year until 2017. After that point, transfers to the provinces and territories will be tied to the rate of economic growth and inflation.
“Poorer provinces like Nova Scotia we’re going to lose our equalization payments so we’re not going to be able to afford some of the services that richer provinces will be able to afford,” said Adrienne Silnicki, National Health Care Campaigner with the Council of Canadians.
The impact isn’t merely financial, some say. The Accord also dictated how the money was used, and covered issues such as wait times, home care and a national pharmaceutical strategy.
“My concern now for my patients is I’m not sure what kind of system we’re going to be dealing with in a few years time,” said Dr. Daniel Boudreau, with Canadian Doctors for Medicare.
Katherine Fierlbeck, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, says the lack of an Accord will be “disastrous.”
“There’s some speculation over whether the federal government sees an opportunity at least for passive privatization,” she said.
“So if provinces like Nova Scotia simply can’t afford to supply the services that the people of the provinces expect or demand, then is there some sort of pressure put on the provinces to allow the people to buy these things on the open market?”
In a statement, Nova Scotia’s Department of Health said their intent is to preserve “our publicly funded health care system and the federal government has a role to play.” The department intends to encourage more discussion on the issue.
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