Government of Canada and Ontario Announce Investments in Health Care System

Government of Canada and Ontario Working Together to Deliver Better Health Care in Ontario

‍Background

‍Earlier today, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, alongside the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, and Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, announced a $3.1 billion agreement to improve health care in Ontario. This investment will target increasing access to primary care physicians, reducing the surgical backlog and emergency wait times, hiring more health care workers, and faster access to care, including mental health care.

The new agreement will focus on the following priority areas:

• Expanding access to/creating more primary care teams for patients to access family doctors.
  
• Increasing the number of family doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners personal support workers, pharmacists, and social workers to provide patients more timely access to quality primary care, with a special focus in rural, remote, and underserved communities.
  
• Increasing health care education enrolment programs by over 700 spots, including over 70 spots in Northern Ontario.
  
• Streamlining the process for internationally trained doctors and health professionals to practice in Ontario by removing barriers to foreign credential recognition, simplifying licensing processes, and increasing program access for highly educated and skilled health professionals.
  
• Modernizing digital infrastructure by expanding the availability of electronic health information and increasing the number of health care professionals who can securely access and share information.
  
• Adding five new Youth Wellness Hubs to the 22 that have opened since 2020, for youth to connect and access needed mental health support and substance use services in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
  
• Expanding the Structured Psychotherapy Program, to help Ontarians get timely help for depression or anxiety through free cognitive behavioural therapy and other related supports.
  
• Engaging with Indigenous communities to address gaps and systemic inequities in Indigenous health care services and improve access to culturally safe care.

What Does This Mean

‍This investment is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to invest over $200 billion to improve access to health care in provinces and territories through bilateral agreements.  In addition to this, the federal government has also committed to Canada Health Transfer increases of at least 5 per cent from 2023-24 to 2027-28 and to a one-time $2 billion top-up to address the urgent needs of emergency rooms and pediatric hospitals, which was delivered in June 2023.

Today’s announcement will support Ontario as it continues to deliver on Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care providing patients with the right care in the right place, providing faster access to services, and growing the province’s health care workforce.