Health Ministers Meet in Calgary to Tackle Funding and Workforce Issues

Federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers are gathering in Calgary for a two-day series of meetings, focusing on interprovincial credential recognition and funding agreements.

The office of federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel said discussions will also address mental health and addiction services, as well as national vaccination programs. “The health ministers’ meeting will build on the renewed collaboration between the federal government and provinces and territories to protect Canada’s health-care system,” Michel’s office stated.

Alberta’s Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, Adriana LaGrange, is co-chairing the meetings alongside Michel. LaGrange is expected to hold a news conference with her counterparts on Thursday afternoon. Her office emphasized that Alberta is seeking federal commitments to existing health funding programs and strategies to address health-care worker shortages.

Alberta is also requesting a guarantee from Ottawa to provide its “fair share” of funding for provincial pharmacare, without requiring the province to join the national program. To date, three provinces and one territory have signed onto the national pharmacare initiative, which covers contraceptives and diabetes medications. LaGrange has argued that Alberta’s existing coverage plans are adequate, and federal funding should be used to strengthen the provincial program instead.

During the Calgary meetings, ministers are also scheduled to meet with national doctors’ and nurses’ organizations, which are advocating for coordinated efforts to support and retain health-care workers.

Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, highlighted the ongoing issue of workplace abuse against nurses. “We really need to get a commitment from the health ministers that we will work on changing the culture in health care,” Silas said. “It’s simple: ministers need to direct their health employers that if a nurse or a health-care worker gets hit, the patient (or) the family member will get charged.” She noted that her organization has been pushing for this change for decades.

Physicians are also reporting challenges with mistreatment at work. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) released survey data earlier this week showing that of roughly 3,300 physicians, medical residents, and fellows surveyed, 74 per cent experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination, slightly down from 78 per cent in 2021.

CMA president Dr. Margot Burnell emphasized that while some progress has been made, more work is needed. “Doctors still feel the heavy burden of an overstretched health-care system,” Burnell said, noting that 46 per cent of respondents reported high levels of burnout, a decline from 53 per cent four years ago. “We must ensure that doctors can thrive while providing quality care to patients.”