Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said giving in to the province's request for more healthcare funding won't fix the country's long wait times.."If I were to send people all the money they need in the provinces, there is no guarantee those folks would be waiting less time in the hospitals," Trudeau said in an interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton.."There is no point putting more money into a broken system. And those are harsh words.".The federal and provincial governments are currently locked in a battle over how best to respond to Canada's healthcare crisis. Many hospitals across the country are struggling with staff shortages and an explosion in hospitalizations due to a combination of influenza, RSV and COVID-19..In response, the provinces are asking for federal healthcare funding to be increased from 22% to 35%. They claim the Canadian government and provinces began with a 50/50 funding partnership for healthcare, but that's declined over the years..The federal government balked at the request for more than $$28 billion added to the $45.2 billion Canada Health Transfer in 2022. Last week, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the provinces are engaged in a "futile fight" with Ottawa over more funding..READ MORE: Health Minister Duclos says provinces are in 'futile fight' over tax dollars.Barton asked Trudeau about the many Canadians who feel their health is being impacted by politicians fighting over healthcare funding. Trudeau responded that according to the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) putting more money into a "broken" system, as doing so will not guarantee better outcomes..Trudeau was referencing a November 2022 CMA videoconference titled It's time to stop pouring money into a broken health system and invest in a new one. The CMA claimed current healthcare budgets are unsustainable and the current models of care are "out of sync with the way we live, and the care we need now."."I think there are [healthcare] systems that are working better than others across the country, but my responsibility is to ensure all Canadians have access to healthcare," Trudeau told Barton.."And quite frankly, one of the only levers I have is saying, 'I'm not giving you this money with no conditions.' I will fully participate in the funding of it, as long as those real improvements are made.".Trudeau will be meeting with Quebec Premier François Legault Tuesday. The two are likely to discuss healthcare.
