Premiers from western Canada met to discuss healthcare in their first face-to-face meeting in more than two years in Regina on Friday at the 2022 Western Premiers' Conference.
The premiers discussed the need for the federal government to increase its share of health transfer payments from 22 per cent to 35 per cent, which would be about $28 billion per year.
“How can we possibly add more when we can’t deliver what we’ve got right now and that’s all about funding and it’s about cooperation and collaboration,” said British Columbia's Premier, John Horgan.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said this would ensure sustainable funding for existing services and future enhancements to the sector.
Moe said he feels confident the federal government will continue discussions surrounding the increase in transfer payments with western leaders after Friday's conference is over.
In addition to healthcare, other topics such as affordability, economic recovery and security were also discussed at the one day conference.
"Here we are in Western Canada sitting on the third largest oil reserves in the world, fourth largest gas reserves and yet we're paying, I don't know, well in Many parts of Western Canada and B.C. over $2.00 a litre for gas. On the prairies about a buck seventy five. We're a little cheaper because we eliminated our fuel tax, by the way," said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
The premiers issued a call for action in several key areas including:
“A good and robust discussion led by our territorial premiers on security and sovereignty and in particular the security and sovereignty of our Arctic areas of Canada, a very paramount and important discussion given what we see happening with the Russian invasion of Ukraine," said Premier Moe.
The premiers also discussed the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.
"To welcome them here for their stay in Canada and so we felt that was very important," said Premier of Manitoba, Heather Stefanson.
Canada's western premiers will need federal cooperation on many of the issues raised. They will have an opportunity to gauge federal support when the Council of the Federation meets in Victoria in July.
Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital early Sunday, striking at least two residential buildings, the mayor of Kyiv said, as elsewhere Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains in the country's east.
G7 leaders opened their summit Sunday with a discussion about shaping the global economy at a time when conflict and unrest are driving up prices and access to key goods around the world.
Canada's chief of defence says Russia's invasion of Ukraine is going to change the course of history.
The latest on the G7 summit: The Group of Seven leading democratic economies has formally launched at its annual summit a global infastructure and investment partnership aimed at pushing back China's influence in the developing world.
David Cohen has been the United States' Ambassador to Canada since November 2021, and in the time since, both Canada and the United States have experienced a series of shared challenges. In an interview at his official residence in Ottawa, Cohen opens up about the state of the relationship.
Norway's prime minister and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service Sunday at Oslo Cathedral for the victims of a shooting attack as the capital held its annual LGBTQ Pride festival.
Republicans are heading into a November midterm election that is poised to swiftly become a referendum on the court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as voters decide which party should control Congress
Cat and dog owners who cuddle their pets when infected with COVID-19 could end up making the animals sick with the virus, according to a Canadian study.
New research looking at the frequency of heavy rainfall across the globe shows that a drastic increase in downpours is expected over the years to come.
When Ennio Muzzolini walked into Christies Mayfair Bakery in 1965 interested in purchasing the small bakery on 33rd Street, he never imagined he’d one day be looking on as hundreds of people lined the block to get their hands on a baguette, cinnamon bun or wood-fired pizza.
Organizers have decided to cancel the Elk Ridge Open due to an “inordinate amount of rain.”
Dozens of players competed in the largest quidditch tournament in western Canada on Saturday at the Edmonton Rugby Football Club.
Residents in Gimli are dealing with overland flooding due to high water levels on Lake Winnipeg and strong winds.
Lori Ann Mancheese's death is now one of five women in the span of about a month being grieved by members of the province's Indigenous community. Winnipeg police say three of those women were murdered.
Using a trailer or an RV is an easy way for people to get out of the city and into the outdoors, but with soaring gas prices, the cost of driving with one has gone up drastically.
Organizers of a central Alberta rodeo and its parade committee are calling for calm after a float in this weekend's parade, which possessed a racist theme, was seen in the procession.
If you are looking for some more time on the slopes even though it's already summer, you might be pleased by an opportunity at Banff Sunshine Village.
People are getting ready to return to Wakamne, God's Lake, on pilgrimage when the Pope visits Alberta.
Canada's chief of defence says Russia's invasion of Ukraine is going to change the course of history.
People are getting ready to return to Wakamne, God's Lake, on pilgrimage when the Pope visits Alberta.
Organizers of a central Alberta rodeo and its parade committee are calling for calm after a float in this weekend's parade, which possessed a racist theme, was seen in the procession.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in today's Pride parade in downtown Toronto, marking the return of in-person festivities for the annual LGBTQ celebration.
There are now more than 50 outdoor pools open across Toronto where people can go to beat the heat.
A heat warning remains in place for the remainder of the weekend in Toronto, but temperatures are expected to cool down Sunday evening.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the Canada Day activities across the city of Ottawa, including at the new location at LeBreton Flats.
Ontario Provincial Police say minor injuries have been reported after a driver struck another vehicle on Highway 417 Saturday, causing it to roll.
A driver going 69 km/h over the speed limit on King Edward Avenue was one of five motorists charged with stunt driving on Ottawa roads this weekend.
Firefighters in Port Coquitlam extinguished a large fire in an apartment building on Wilson Avenue overnight.
While most of B.C. remains under a special weather statement as the summer's first hot weather rolls through, the advisory has been upgraded to a heat warning for the Lower Mainland.
The 96-year-old woman who died in the arms of firefighters now lingers in the memory of Chief Jim Ogloff of the Coquitlam Fire Department, a reminder of the impact of last summer's heat dome disaster on vulnerable residents of British Columbia.
A man in crisis stabbed several people Sunday morning in downtown Montreal, leaving one dead and three injured.
The Montreal fire department (SIM) is advising citizens to avoid the intersection of Sherbrooke St. East near Durocher Ave. as a major building fire is blazing.
The higher parts of Angelique Beauchemin's land, she said, are sinking an inch or two a year as they slope ever more steeply toward the river. While she's not a scientist, she says her biggest fear is that one day there will be a landslide and the white house at the top of the hill where she's lived for decades will tumble down.
Mounties on Quadra Island are investigating what they call a "linen heist" at a local resort.
Barb Randall travelled from Nanaimo, B.C., to Petawawa, Ont., to surprise the sister she hasn't seen in years.
The 96-year-old woman who died in the arms of firefighters now lingers in the memory of Chief Jim Ogloff of the Coquitlam Fire Department, a reminder of the impact of last summer's heat dome disaster on vulnerable residents of British Columbia.
The inquiry into Nova Scotia’s 2020 mass shooting, says four pages of handwritten notes that sparked a political firestorm in Ottawa this week, weren’t immediately submitted when subpoenaed by its investigators.
After a week of criticism and anger at the Mass Casualty Commission in Nova Scotia, and outcry in a rural area of New Brunswick, there are questions about the RCMP’s role in community policing.
Gas prices at over two dollars a litre may be too much for some drivers to ignore this summer.
A person was taken to hospital after a shooting on the Sheguiandah First Nation on Manitoulin Island Friday.
The future site of Canada Place will include a new walkway, seating and gardens meant to recognize diversity and inclusion.
Thanks to high gas prices, staggering inflation and other ripples of the pandemic, few corners of the live music industry have gone untouched by financial woes.
The latest developments for encampments in Waterloo Region, field trips being paid for, and a new hospital for the area round out the top stories of the week.
Norfolk County OPP are asking for the public's help with an arson case from three years ago.
Many in Waterloo Region are reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and what it could mean for Canada.
