Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Ashley Legassic

FEDERAL ELECTION

MP McLeod disappointed with Liberal interpretation of Conservative health and social transfer plan

Aug 7, 2019 | 9:57 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo is firing back against local Liberal candidate Terry Lake after he voiced his criticisms over the recently released Conservative health and social transfer plan.

Cathy McLeod says Lake doesn’t have all the facts when it comes to Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s plan to increase the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) and Canada Social Transfer (CST) by three per cent each year.

The CHT provides long-term predictable funding for health care, and the CST is a federal block transfer to provinces and territories in support of post-secondary education, social assistance and social services, and early childhood development and early learning and childcare.

“I am disappointed by the misinformation spread by the local Liberal candidate that Andrew Scheer would cut funding to mental health and home care services,” McLeod says. “In actual fact, we will stand by the funding agreement made with provinces and territories and increase funding.”

Lake told CFJC Today that when the health transfers are put together with the special funding that goes toward home care for seniors, and mental health and substance treatment services, it would actually represent a decrease.

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McLeod says that’s not true.

“He put out information about our healthcare guarantee without all the facts, and not only have we committed to the escalating transfer, but there was a special part of the health accord that focused on mental health issues and it focused on homecare,” McLeod says. “Absolutely that is part of what we commit to… if we’re elected in the next election.

“So really there’s no question we’re committed to the transfers but we’re also committed to the additional dollars and the guarantee in terms of supporting mental health and homecare services.”

McLeod adds, it’s critical for Canadians to have confidence that these programs will be there for them when they need them.

“I know that we’re going to have ever increasing pinch points in terms of healthcare services, it is a provincial jurisdiction but the federal government has a role to play,” McLeod says. “What we’re doing is guaranteeing that those dollars continue to flow in a way that the provinces need them to flow, that there certainly is not going to be any cuts, and they will be maintained and/or increased.”