The New Brunswick and federal governments have signed an individual 10 year health funding agreement.
The province will see increased federal funding, with an estimated $230 million more for home care and mental health. Annual transfer payments will go up 3% or the rate of national GDP, whichever is higher. That’s what Ottawa has been pushing for and the provinces rejected earlier this week.
Premier Brian Gallant says this separate deal with the Trudeau Government will be worth an extra $1.2 billion over ten years. Gallant is also dismissing criticism from other provinces for breaking solidarity, saying Ottawa is apparently negotiating with a few other provinces as well on individual deals. If one of them turns out to be better than the one this province signed, we’ll get those terms as well.