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December 15, 1997
(Health)


The following statement was issued today by Joan Marie Aylward, Minister of Health. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise today to inform members of the successful First Ministers meetings which took place in Ottawa last week. I am pleased to say that the meetings should provide future, tangible results for Canadians in a number of sectors including health.

All of the First Ministers, with the exception of the Premier of Quebec, have agreed to mandate designated ministers, under the auspices of the Minsterial Council for Social Policy and Renewal, to begin negotiations on a framework agreement for Canada's social union that would apply to federal/provincial/territorial governments while respecting each others' constitutional jurisdiction and powers.

The objectives of the agreement will include: a set of principles for social policy, such as mobility and monitoring social policy outcomes; collaborative approaches to the use of the federal spending power; appropriate dispute settlement mechanisms between governments; clarifying ground rules for intergovernmental cooperation; and identifying processes for clarifying roles and responsibilities within various social policy sectors.

First Ministers agreed that this work should proceed in conjunction with ongoing activities in sectoral areas and should be completed by July 1998.

Some of the sectoral issues discussed included the National Child Benefit, the National Children's Agenda, Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities, and the Health system. First Ministers reconfirmed their commitment to the start of the National Child Benefit system by July 1, 1998. They also committed to work together on measures that ensure the overall level of child benefits for families is protected during the implementation.

The commitment of First Ministers to new cooperative approaches to ensure child well-being, was reaffirmed and they noted the progress to date, in developing a National Child's Agenda. An agreement was also reached to fast track work on the agenda through the Ministerial Council on Social Policy Renewal.

First Ministers reviewed the progress made by Social Services Ministers over the past year and endorsed their work on harmonization and a revamped Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities program (EAPD). Bilateral agreements for EAPD are expected by April 1998 and Social Services Ministers have been asked to conclude the development of a vision statement and national framework to guide future collaborative work in this area.

Every First Minister present expressed a strong desire to protect the future of the health system. First Ministers agreed to work together to ensure the fundamentals of the health system remain firmly in place. Health care must be standardized to ensure a two tier system does not develop in our provinces. It was agreed that it is important to achieve broad agreement around present and future health priorities before we embark on new programs. This will ensure that available funding is invested most effectively by both levels of government. I have been asked to arrange a meeting of Ministers of Health for early in the new year to discuss the immediate health concerns of all Canadians.

1997 12 15 5:00 p.m.

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