The Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne tabled the 2017 Ontario Budget on April 27. After many years of austerity, Finance Minister Charles Sousa presented to Ontarians a balanced budget based on projections.
This budget sets the tone for the next election in 2018. It is meant to attract new voters to the Liberal party. That centre-left shift is a way for the Wynne Government to distinguish herself from the Opposition parties, the Ontario NDP and the Ontario PC Party. Keep in mind the Liberal motto: campaign from the left and govern from the right.
The big surprise revealed in this budget was regarding the health care sector with the creation of OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare. As of January 1, 2018, the province will provide universal drug coverage to all children and youth aged 24 and under regardless of family income. The NDP Pharmacare plan would cover all Ontarians. People aged 25-64 still have to rely on private health insurance coverage, if they are lucky to have one. 1 in 4 Ontarians can’t afford medication because of the cost.
Other healthcare spending measures were announced by the Finance Minister last week:
- The investment of an additional $518 million in 2017–18 in hospitals, representing a 3% increase to the sector.
- The investment of $9 billion over 10 years in new capital grants to support the construction of several new major hospital projects.
- The Ontario’s new Dementia Strategy with more than $100 million over 3 years to support people with dementia.
- A commitment of a 2% increase for long-term care in 2017.
- A commitment of $20 million in funding to increase the available temporary relief services for unpaid caregivers in 2017.
As mentioned earlier, years of austerity have created a degraded health care sector no longer able to answer to the medical needs of Ontarians. The effects of short staffing on health care workers and the growing concerns about job violence against health care professionals are sad examples of underfunding policies damaging the provincial health care system over the years. The funding increase to long-term care only covers inflationary pressures.
Issues, such recurrent problems of beds and services, and an aging population are not addressed in this budget despite the announced increase in hospital funding. Ontario is still behind where it was a decade ago.
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