Yukoners take great pride in the territory’s universal, accessible, and publicly-funded healthcare system. Yukon health care workers face significant challenges delivering the level of care that patients deserve. The Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon are partnering to deliver immediate and collaborative action to improve healthcare services for all Yukoners.
Today, the Yukon government and the Government of Canada are announcing an Agreement in Principle for a shared plan that will invest $380 million in federal funding over 10 years in the Yukon, including $73 million for a new bilateral agreement focusing on shared health priorities. This investment also includes $171 million in CHT growth between 2022-2023 and 2032-2033, a guaranteed 5 per cent growth to the CHT for the next five years (expected additional value of $20 million over 10 years) and $2 million through an immediate one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs, especially in pediatric clinics and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries.
This will further help provide Yukoners with improvements in health care such as:
- access to high-quality family health services when they need them, including in rural and remote areas, and for underserved communities;
- a resilient and supported health workforce that provides them high-quality, effective, and safe health care services;
- access to timely, equitable, and quality mental health, substance use and addictions services; and
- access to their own secure electronic health information that is shared between the health professionals they consult.
This is in addition to the investment announced by the Government of Canada on February 7, 2023, of close to $200 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding for provinces and territories to improve health care services for Canadians. This funding includes an immediate, unconditional $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up to address immediate pressures on the health care system. The federal government also announced $350 million over 10 years for the Territorial Health Investment Fund in recognition of medical travel and the cost of delivering health care, which includes $100 million for the Yukon.
By reaching an Agreement in Principle, the Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada are committing to the plan as laid out on February 7, 2023, and in the federal Budget 2023, which includes shared commitments to collect, use and share depersonalized health information and to inform Yukoners of their progress with key common headline indicators.
Work will now begin on a bilateral agreement based on an initial 3-year action plan that will detail targets, timelines and additional common indicators related to shared health priorities in each jurisdiction.
As part of this collaborative health plan, the Government of Yukon will work with the Government of Canada to streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals and advance labour mobility for key health professionals. Furthermore, the Yukon commits to an integrated, inclusive approach to investments in family health teams, health workers, and data and digital tools that will help to meet the health and mental health needs of Yukoners.
Through this Agreement in Principle, the Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada fulfill the shared responsibility to uphold the Canada Health Act that protects Yukoners’ access to health care that is based on need and not ability to pay.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments showed that they can work together to tackle big challenges. The Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada will continue to work cooperatively to deliver outcomes for Yukoners and improve the health care system that Yukoners value and depend on.
I am pleased that our negotiations with the Government of Canada have resulted in this significant increase in funding to our territory’s health care system. We are all grateful for the dedication and passion of our territory’s health care professionals and are pleased that the federal government is supportive of our ongoing efforts to attract internationally-educated health care professionals to the Yukon.
The wellbeing of Yukoners is the foundation of a strong and resilient territory. The Agreement in Principle with the Government of Canada will help invest in our shared health priorities. With this support, we can continue to transform our healthcare system by supporting our hard-working healthcare workers, providing greater access to mental health services, reducing substance use harms, and improving the overall health and wellness of all Yukoners.
Today’s Agreement in Principle with Yukon is an opportunity to continue our collaboration and improve the experience of health workers and the health of those they care for. It will modernize our health care system, expand access to family health services and mental health services, support health workers and reduce surgical backlogs. Better quality of care means helping Yukon residents and Canadians live longer, healthier lives.
Today’s Agreement in Principle with the Yukon builds on our shared objective of ensuring all Canadians, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay, can access the care they need, when they need it. Our government will continue to work with our partners across the country to build a better health care system.
Mental health is health, and through this Agreement in Principle, we will be working with Yukon to integrate mental health and substance use care as a full and equal part of our universal health care system. This agreement will help to provide greater access to mental health services, reduce substance use harms, and lower stigma. Together, we must ensure that all Canadians have access to supports and services for their mental health and well-being – when they need them, wherever they need them.
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The Canada Health Transfer (CHT) is the largest major federal transfer to provinces and territories. It provides long-term, predictable funding for health care and supports the principles of the Canada Health Act. CHT payments are made on an equal per capita basis to provide comparable treatment for all Canadians, regardless of where they live. The CHT grows in line with a three-year moving average of nominal gross domestic product, with total funding guaranteed to increase by at least 3 per cent per year. In 2023-24, the federal government will provide a total of $49.4 billion to provinces and territories under the CHT, an increase of 9.3 per cent, or $4.2 billion, from 2022-23.
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The CHT, along with historical tax point transfers for health to provinces and territories, dates back to the 1970s. The CHT accounts for nearly one third of all the money provinces and territories spend on health care. The value of these tax points is $25 billion in 2022-23.
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The Yukon government and the Government of Canada work collaboratively and in partnership with Indigenous partners and communities to support improved, fair and equal access to quality and culturally safe health services free from racism and discrimination anywhere in the Yukon.
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Each year, the Government of Canada invests approximately $5 billion in Indigenous health. This includes important new investments announced since 2021 to support further progress, including:
- $354 million over five years to increase the number of nurses and other medical professionals in remote and isolated First Nations communities;
- $250 million over five years to further support recruitment and retention of health professionals on reserve;
- $825 million over three years for distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategies;
- $127 million over three years to foster health systems free from racism and discrimination; and
- $107 million over three years to continue efforts to transform how health services are designed and delivered by First Nations communities.
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Helping Yukoners age with dignity, closer to home, with access to home care or care in a safe long-term care facility is another shared health priority where collaborative work is already underway.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Ken Hegan
Communications Analyst
867-332-8321
ken.hegan@yukon.ca