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
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.

Freeland's green economy spending aimed at competing with U.S. Inflation Reduction Act
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says clean energy and green technology spending may not have been the big-ticket items of the 2023 federal budget if it weren’t for the need to compete with infrastructure spending in the United States.
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned 6.3 per cent increase.
opinion | The gun control debate in America has been silenced
In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in America, that saw children as young as nine years old shot and killed, the gun control debate is going nowhere, writes CTV News political analyst Eric Ham.
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar? New research suggests maybe not
Stonehenge's purpose has long been a mystery, with some researchers proposing that it may have been an ancient solar calendar. But now, new analysis suggests the calendar theory is unsubstantiated.
Kids would rather learn from smart robots than less-smart humans: new study
A new study published by Canadian researchers suggests that kindergarten-age children would rather be taught by a competent robot than an incompetent human.
‘Using waste material makes sense’: Mysterious artist Junko turns trash into giant sculptures
A mysterious, Montreal-based street artist named Junko is generating buzz in Metro Vancouver with futuristic, bug-like sculptures made from old car parts, scrap metal and tossed out shoes.
New research finds subtle brain changes in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients
A new peer-reviewed study from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Brain Connectivity has found individualized brain fingerprints which can help diagnose early Alzheimer's disease.
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.