The Health Council of Canada’s days may be numbered. A creation of the 2003 10-year health accord between the provinces and the federal government, the Harper government has indicated that the Council will go the way of the Accord itself – into history – unless someone else decides to fund it.
The question is: will the provinces see value in maintaining the Council after the Accord is complete?
If you are expecting to see your taxes cut or the federal deficit to be reduced by shuttering the Council’s offices, don’t hold your breath. The most recent Annual Report from the Council indicates expenditures of about $5.7 million. This is relatively small change given Canada spends more than $200 billion on both public and private health care. Having an actual roadmap is not an entirely bad plan.
The Council is very much the creature of its participants – each provincial and territorial government appointing their own representative. The Ottawa Hospital CEO Jack Kitts is Ontario’s appointee and serves as the Council’s chair.
The Council therefore tilts towards what the provinces want it to tilt towards. In recent years it’s been all about “health care renewal.”
OPSEU Diablogue 