Premier Doug Ford is calling on the federal government to increase funding for health care and infrastructure projects across Ontario.
“This is a critical moment for us to stand together and build a stronger, more resilient province and country,” said Premier Ford. “To meet the challenges we face, we need a modern health care system that can effectively respond to the potential surges and waves of COVID-19, while addressing issues such as hallway health care and the need for more long-term care beds.”
Ford wants to see a significant increase to the federal Canada Health Transfer, which would cover 35 per cent of all provincial-territorial health costs.
As it stands now, the feds pay around 22 per cent of the combined health care costs of all provinces and territories, amounting to about $42-billion this year.
“Ontario is at the table with $67 billion for health care this year, but we need the federal government to step up with its share to better protect the people we serve,” he said.
Ford adds that the provincial government is making “unprecedented” investments to health care.
In addition, the premier is calling on Ottawa to “step up” with an additional $10-billion per year over 10 years for infrastructure.
In particular, Ford wants the feds to cover at least 40 per cent of the $28.5-billion subway plan for the GTA, which he calls “nationally significant.”
To support economic recovery, Ford wants to see more federal investments in broadband for rural, remote and northern communities in Ontario.
He says the province is “standing by,” ready to advance these projects, but they need the federal government’s support.
