Vote Yes
An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (accountability)
This bill amends the Canada Health Act to make full Canada Health Transfer payments conditional on each province implementing an accountability framework for health services. Provinces must set benchmarks for timely access to primary care, elective procedures, and emergency care, and transparently report on achievement of those benchmarks and the efficiency of health spending. The framework and annual reports must be published online, with periodic updates based on evidence and best practices. The federal government may reduce or withhold transfer payments for non-compliance, and reimpose reductions in subsequent years if defaults continue.
The bill advances transparency and efficiency in health care, which can improve patient access and workforce productivity—supporting prosperity. Implementation risks include added administrative burden and the potential for funding penalties to harm care if applied without remediation.
How will the government ensure that reducing or withholding Canada Health Transfer funds under this bill does not cut frontline services for patients, and will there be a clear remediation process before any clawbacks occur?
Will the minister commit to a small, standardized set of national definitions and reporting templates to avoid duplicative bureaucracy and ensure comparable, high-quality data across provinces?
What safeguards will ensure benchmarks are risk-adjusted and fair to rural, northern, and Indigenous communities, while respecting provincial jurisdiction and preventing federal micromanagement of hospitals?
Improved health access and efficiency can support prosperity indirectly, but the bill’s impact on overall national prosperity is indirect and uncertain.
Transparency can counter bureaucratic inertia, yet the new reporting requirements may add administrative workload; net effects on freedom and agility are unclear.
Faster access to care and more efficient spending can reduce absenteeism, improve workforce health, and lift productivity.
No direct effect on exports or trade.
Could nudge innovation in care delivery via benchmarking, but it does not directly target investment or resource development.
Mandates measurement, public reporting, and efficiency tracking, creating incentives to improve service quality per dollar spent.
No tax changes are proposed.
A structural accountability change in health care is meaningful but not a broad economic growth strategy.
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