New Brunswick has become the first province or territory in the country to sign a health care agreement with the federal government.
The bilateral deal between the Gallant government and Ottawa contains $230 million more in funding over a ten-year period.
Premier Brian Gallant says the agreement includes funding for home care and mental health.
Today’s agreement ensures that we can receive funding for home care & mental health that might otherwise have been delayed or lost.
— Brian Gallant (@BrianGallantNB) December 22, 2016
“In our agreement we have secured once again the 3 per cent, or the GDP nominal growth as the escalator which we believe is the more lucrative escalator and the one that will help New Brunswick get and secure more funds for health care,” he says.
Premier Gallant says he was “flabbergasted” that the Quebec health minister was speaking on behalf of New Brunswick, noting how if other ministers spoke on Quebec’s behalf it wouldn’t be received very favorourably to say the least.
Under this deal, annual transfer payments from Ottawa to New Brunswick will be worth an estimated $1.2 billion over 10 years.
