Critics stress health system capacity constraints ahead of first ministers meeting

OTTAWA —
Health experts and government critics are calling on the prime minister and premiers to fix cracks in Canada’s health system and improve surge capacity as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will speak with provincial and territorial leaders this afternoon to discuss the mounting health crisis posed by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Conservative ethics critic John Brassard says the federal and provincial governments didn’t secure the surge capacity needed to cope with the record number of COVID-19 cases this year.

The federal government plans to negotiate with provinces on health transfers once the pandemic has ended, but several health-care experts argue those conversations should happen now.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the federal government spent another $63 billion on health care since the pandemic started to help shore up provincial systems, and has promised another $25 billion in the relatively short term.

HealthCareCAN, an association of health-care organizations and Canadian hospitals, is urging the federal government to go beyond funding and lead provinces to make strategic changes to develop a more cohesive and resilient health system.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 10, 2022.