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Health-care meeting: Trudeau to present offer to premiers

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2023

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be presenting the federal government’s offer for billions in new health-care funding to the provinces and territories at a highly anticipated meeting in Ottawa today.

The sit-down — the first in-person meeting of all First Ministers since the COVID-19 pandemic — will see the prime minister outline how much money his government is willing to provide, as well as his expectations for provincial accountability on spending the money to deliver improved care.

Trudeau, accompanied by a handful of ministers, is expected to come into the 1 p.m. ET meeting with a detailed two-hour presentation of how much money the federal government is ready to put on the table.

This boost is set to be offered in two forms:

A national increase to the Canada Health Transfer (CHT), which funnels money to all provinces on a per-capita basis, connected to what may be a cross-Canada accord on data and health information sharing; and
Direct decade-long bilateral deals with each province and territory tailored to their health-care needs, but connected to shared priorities such as reducing backlogs in surgeries and diagnostics, retaining, recruiting, and recognizing the credentials of health-care workers, investing in mental health; and modernizing the health information system.

On his way into a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill on Tuesday morning, Trudeau said he was looking forward to the afternoon meeting.

“Canadians are proud of our universal public health-care system. But we all have to recognize it hasn’t been delivering at the level that Canadians would expect,” Trudeau said. “That’s why sitting down with the provinces, working collaboratively, investing significantly in priority areas is going to move us forward in the right way.”

As Trudeau goes behind closed doors to speak to his provincial and territorial counterparts, federal officials have scheduled an embargoed technical briefing “on health system funding” for reporters at 2 p.m. ET.

Billed as a “working meeting” neither side is expecting to come out of this afternoon’s talks with deals in-hand, but some provinces such as Ontario already have a strong sense of what they’re being offered — $30 billion in new money over 10 years according to senior provincial government sources — and appear ready to sign on the dotted line in short order.

Others have arrived in Ottawa telling reporters that they’re still waiting to see what the federal government’s formal offer will be, indicating there may be considerable back and forth before they’re ready to agree to any new accord.

In addition to meeting certain metrics around improving their respective health systems, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters on Tuesday morning that he expects provinces to maintain their end of the deal by putting forward enough provincial funding to ensure Canadians get the health care they deserve.

Premiers put their heads together ahead of the meeting, and have been speaking generally about their expectations heading into the talks, with some voicing optimism about getting to a place where the two sides are meeting to discuss how to address Canada’s strained health-care systems.

The premiers’ longstanding ask has been for the federal government to increase the share of Canada’s health-care costs that they cover, from the current 22 per cent to 35 per cent. It’s a move that would come with an approximately $28 billion annual price tag, and it’s a request officials on both sides of the talks have already signalled isn’t likely to happen through these deals.

Chair of the Council of the Federation and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson told reporters on Tuesday morning that, while this has been their years-long request, the premiers’ goal is “to ensure that we have predictable and stable long-term funding put into the baseline of the Canada Health Transfer to ensure… that predictable, stable long-term funding for Canadians.”

With both federal and provincial governments working on drafting their 2023 budgets, the expectation is the details will need to be worked out after Tuesday’s meetings, but in time for the funding to be accounted for in the upcoming fiscal plans.

“We have done a lot of work to prepare for this meeting,” said Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc on his way into Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting.

Leblanc — who alongside Duclos, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett —w ill be taking part in today’s meeting, said he woke up with a “big smile” on his face.

“It’s going to be a great day,” he said.

Despite concerns raised by some premiers that the federal government’s negotiations have been conducted through the media, Trudeau already has plans to hold a press conference at 5:30 p.m. ET to discuss what came out of the meeting.

Premiers too, will be reacting to Trudeau’s offer and the next steps later today.

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Jacob Trouba says ‘there’s no animosity’ toward Rangers following trade rumors

Published

33 mins ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said Thursday “there’s no animosity” toward the organization following an offseason in which his name was prominently mentioned in trade rumors.

“It’s part of the business of hockey,” Trouba said following the first day of training camp for the reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers.

According to reports, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury had negotiated a trade that would send New York’s captain to Detroit in late June. The trade fell apart, however, when Trouba submitted his 15-team no-trade list to the Rangers on June 30 and included the Red Wings on it.

“Obviously, had the no-move that turned into the partial no-trade,” said Trouba, whom New York acquired in a trade with Winnipeg in June 2019 and signed to a seven-year, $56 million contract one month later. “That’s life, contracts, hockey business, whatever you want to call it.

“I knew that was coming that summer. It’s not by surprise. It was obviously something that was negotiated at the time.”

The 30-year-old’s insistence that his relationship with Drury is fine echoes what the executive said in a pre-training camp conference call with reporters.

“Jacob and I talk all the time as GM and captain should,” Drury said. “We’ve had a number of different conversations over the course of the summer on a lot of different things. He is very clear as to where he stands with me and what I think of him as a player and as a leader.”

Still, Trouba realizes that the 2024-25 season is likely the last for the current iteration of the Original Six franchise. The Rangers have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last three seasons, and have reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024. Following last spring’s six-game series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Drury wondered aloud in a conference call with reporters if the Rangers’ core players could lead the franchise to a Stanley Cup.

“(It’s) an opportunity that we have in front of us that in all likelihood will probably be the last crack for this core,” Trouba said. “I don’t think that’s a secret by any means. (A) group that’s kind of grown together, spent some years together here, and there’s something we want to accomplish.”

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

36 mins ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

36 mins ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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