Health has always been an important topic for me.

I know perfectly well the importance of an efficient and accessible healthcare system to ensure the well-being of all Canadians. We are lucky to live in a society where we collectively chose to allow anyone, no matter their financial means, to be able to access the healthcare that they need, when they need it.

Unfortunately, we know that our system in its current state is not fulfilling these expectations.

That is why I am very proud of our government’s efforts on this issue.

On February 7, we announced a historical investment of $198.6 billion over 10 years to improve health care services for Canadians. On February 13th, the premiers collectively accepted the federal funding.

However, we know that money alone will not fix the problems, and clear objectives as well as accountability are also needed. That’s why the amounts announced will also come with bilateral agreements that will ensure that each province and territory delivers the necessary results. Our priorities are to :

• Facilitate access to family health services when they need them;
• Ensure that we can rely on a supported health workforce that provides them high-quality, effective, and safe health services;
• Facilitate access to high-quality mental health and addictions services; and
• Allow everyone to access to their own electronic health information.

We also have been putting forward specific measures for seniors. After having worked their whole lives to enrich and contribute to our society, elders deserve to age in comfort and dignity. Our investments therefore include additional measures specifically to improve access to home care and long-term care, such as:

• The Safe Long-Term Care Fund, which is improving the quality of care for those living in long-term care facilities by providing provinces and territories with financial resources to hire additional staff, invest in PPE, reduce crowding, and keep seniors safe;
• New independently developed national standards on Long-Term Care, to protect seniors and make sure they are getting the best care possible; and
• A $1.7 billion investment over 5 years to help support wage increases for personal support workers and related professions.

All these measures demonstrate in a clear and strong way our engagement, our competency and our pro-action of our government when it comes to health.

So that we can all have the health system that we need and deserve!