Question Period Note: Family Health Services

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KEY MESSAGES
• The Government of Canada recognizes that far too many Canadians lack timely access to a regular family health services provider.
• The Government of Canada’s Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan provides close to $200 billion to support the health and well-being of Canadians, which includes $25 billion over 10 years in targeted funding to provinces and territories.
• Improving access to family health services is at the core of this plan.
• Transforming the delivery of family health services, including through team-based care, will help Canadians get care when and where they need it, from a team, doctor, or nurse practitioner.
IF PRESSED

Q1 : If pressed on how federal funding is enhancing access to family health services
A1 :
• Transforming how family health services are delivered will improve access to care, better support our health workers and better support the health system as it adapts to the changing needs of Canadians.
• The long-term funding provided by the Government of Canada is supporting the provinces and territories in their efforts to transform family health services, for example in Nova Scotia, Ontario and BC.
• The Government of Canada will continue to look for new opportunities to improve access to health care, including team-based care, which can play a key role in expanding access to family health services.
Q2 : If pressed on investments in family health services within provincial and territorial action plans
A2 :
· The Government of Canada has signed bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories under the Working Together plan.
· We are encouraged by the promising early progress towards improved access to care.
· These agreements are flexible, and provinces and territories have tailored them to address the unique needs of their populations and geography.
· Through these agreements, federal funds are being used to strengthen family health services, for example:
o Alberta is expanding team-based care and enhancing virtual care to increase access to family health services.
Q3 : If pressed on health human resource challenges, including shortages being felt across the country
A3 :
· The Government of Canada recognizes that persistent challenges for Canada’s health workforce, including the supply and retention of health professionals, are impacting the care that Canadians receive.
· We are working to address these challenges and to add thousands of new doctors and nurses to Canada’s health care system.
· Our government is committed to working with provinces, territories and key health stakeholders to advance solutions related to improved retention, increasing labour mobility, expediting foreign credential recognition, and enhancing medical training capacity for Canada’s future health workforce.
Q4 : If pressed on virtual care
A4 :
· Virtual care has become an important way for Canadians, including those in rural and remote communities, to get the care they need, when they need it.
· Through programs like “VirtualCare NS”, the Working Together investments are enabling provinces and territories to transform the way family health services are delivered, including through virtual care.
Q5 : If pressed on private virtual care
A5 :
· The fundamental premise of Medicare is that access to care is based on medical need, not the ability or willingness to pay.
· Virtual care has changed how health care services are delivered, but it has not changed the nature of the services themselves.
· We are encouraged by the steps provinces and territories have taken to integrate virtual care into their publicly funded health care systems.
· The Government of Canada’s aim is to ensure the benefits of virtual care are available equally to all Canadians.

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KEY STATS
• In 2023, about 5.4 million (17%) Canadians aged 18+ reported not having a regular health care provider.
• In 2023, only 26% of Canadians reported being able to get same-day or next-day appointments, compared to 42% among peer countries.
• In 2023, 38% of Canadians reported that their last emergency department visit was for a condition that could have been treated at their regular place of care, compared to a peer country average of 31%.