Montreal – The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and territories to strengthen Canada’s public health care system and adapt to the changing needs of Canadians. As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must address existing challenges that were made worse for many people in Canada.
Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, accompanied by Elisabeth Brière, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Member of Parliament for Hochelaga, announced the signature of an agreement with Quebec to continue to improve access to home and community care, and mental health and addictions services. Through this agreement, Quebec is receiving close to $270 million in 2022-23 from the $11 billion, 10-year investment made in Budget 2017.
The Canada-Quebec agreement builds on progress achieved through the first five years of the federal investment. Quebec may use this funding to address priorities, such as:
- Expanding access to home care support services by increasing the quantity and quality of professional care in areas such as nursing, nutrition, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychosocial services;
- Increasing the percentage of patients who receive home care assessments and care plans;
- Reducing the number of emergency room visits for people aged 65 and over;
- Implementing the 2018-2028 Interdepartmental Action Plan on Addiction, which includes actions aimed at preventing, reducing and treating the effects of psychoactive substance use, compulsive gambling and internet addiction; and,
- Enhancing access to psychologists for youth (ages 0-18) and community crisis services, as well as consolidating first psychotic episode services for young people aged 12 to 35.
The Government of Canada will continue to work closely with provinces and territories to support them in accessing the remaining four years of funding available for home and community care and mental health and addictions, and to improve health care services across the country.
“Quebecers deserve a health care system that delivers results. The agreement with Quebec will help continue to improve the quality and accessibility of home and community care for Quebecers. We look forward to continuing discussions with the province to support concrete health care system improvements and we will continue to collaborate together for more adapted, more resilient and more modern health care systems.” – Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health