Hard Choices: Liberal Economic Policy, 1994–1995
But the federal government had made deficit reduction its main political priority, and so the recommendations of the National Forum on Health were not fully adopted. Instead, Minister of Finance Paul Martin introduced the Canada Health and Social Transfer in the 1995 budget. This act cut even more money from the federal contribution to provincial health care costs and led to significant problems in all the provinces and territories. Ontario, Alberta and Quebec were particularly affected by the loss of federal funds, as well as by changes in government. Political conflict over money and the future of medicare intensified through the late 1990s as the federal government began to post surpluses.
In the Edmonton Sun, Alberta, Fred Curatolo shows the damaging effect of private clinics on medicare.
Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. R2880-92, e008440949. © Fred Curatolo.
