Cam Broten MLA

19 December 2011

The Official Opposition is calling on the Sask. Party government to be transparent on its health care plan, including the message on health funding being delivered to the federal government.

Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Saturday that the renewal of the Health Accord with the provinces beyond 2016 would be fiscally unsustainable. The federal and provincial finance ministers are meeting in Victoria today and the Health Accord is on the agenda.

Cam Broten, NDP health critic, believes Saskatchewan people need to know which message Finance Minister Ken Krawetz is delivering at the ministers' meeting and what concrete steps are being taken to ensure health care continues to be accessible and affordable beyond 2016.

"Saskatchewan people want our universal health care system strengthened and improved," said Broten. "And people are worried that the absence of political will to push for a long-term deal puts this in jeopardy."

Premier Brad Wall told reporters at the Saskatchewan legislature on Thursday that he wants a commitment beyond two years - but told the Globe and Mail last week that it is "not there yet," in terms of demanding another long-term deal with Ottawa. Wall also said on Thursday that he's open to "innovation" within the six-per-cent escalator clause currently built into the Health Accord.

"A long-term vision for health care is sorely lacking from the Sask. Party government," said Broten. "We don't see any movement to maximize capacity in the public system, we don't know what the long-term role of for-profit health care will be, and we don't know the government's plans to mitigate the resource drain from the public system and the inevitable conflicts-of-interest that arise with increased for-profit delivery."

Broten noted that neither the recent throne speech nor the government's agenda for the just-concluded sitting of the Legislative Assembly gave a clear picture of the Sask. Party's plan for health care.

"If the Sask. Party has a long-term plan for health care - including a funding model -- they should tell us what it is," said Broten. "If they don't have a plan, I think we need to know that, too."