OTTAWA – Nova Scotia Health Minister Leo Glavine is joining a chorus of criticism against a federal Liberal plan to cut the current rate of increase in health transfers to the provinces by half next year.
Glavine says now is absolutely not the time to reduce the annual increase – currently at six per cent – especially with current health demands and an aging population.
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The Canadian Press has also spoken to health ministers in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario who are concerned with the Liberal proposal.
Glavine says he expects a pointed discussion to ensue when Health Minister Jane Philpott meets her provincial counterparts in Toronto on Oct. 18.
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Philpott continues to push for the dialogue to focus on measures to reform health care, rather than on finances.
She also says she hopes $3 billion for home care will be included in the upcoming budget cycle.