More than half of Ontarians agree health-care funding should have strings attached, survey finds
More than half of Ontarians believe the federal government should attach conditions to their updated health-care funding deal, a new survey suggests.
Canada's premiers are meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week to advocate for an increase to the Canada Health Transfer (CHT), which is currently set at about $45.2 billion for this year.
The provinces have long called for the amount to go from 22 per cent to about 35 per cent, adding about $28 billion to their coiffeurs. While the federal government has hinted at an increase, it is unclear if it will meet the full amount of the request.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Officials have also hinted that certain strings will be attached to the increase, including a commitment to data sharing, reducing surgery backlogs and investing in mental health.
According to a poll conducted by Angus Reid, about 44 per cent of Canadians believe the funding should be unconditional, with 41 per cent in favour of a deal with strings attached.
Ontario respondents, however, strongly agreed with federal demands for reforms being attached to health-care funding. About 54 per cent of respondents said the government should tack on conditions, even if it delays the agreement.
No other province felt this strongly about the federal government's contingencies.
A chart shows the results of an Angus Reid poll released on Feb. 6, 2023.
The Ontario government has previously said it would support a push to make health-care funding contingent on data reporting.
The province has also begun to put forward a plan that would see surgery backlogs reduced by increasing the number of procedures that can be done at private clinics.
The plan faced immediate backlash, but according to the survey, about 48 per cent of respondents support the efforts.
Canada-wide, about three in five respondents in every region supports the idea of having doctors at third party clinics perform services such as cataract, hip and knee surgeries, and MRIs.
The online Angus Reid poll, conducted between Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, surveyed 1,726 adults across Canada and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.