Backgrounder: Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador under the Emergency Treatment Fund

June 2018

The opioid crisis is an ongoing public health issue affecting individuals, families and communities across Canada. As part of the efforts to address this crisis, the Government of Canada is working with all provinces and territories to enhance access to treatment services.

With the signing of the bilateral agreement between the Government of Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador under the Emergency Treatment Fund, the Province will be able to increase access to treatment services for people who are seeking help with substance use disorders. This includes funding for activities based on a people-centred model for opioid use disorder, involving multi-disciplinary teams that include case managers, primary care providers, telemedicine and peer support. Newfoundland and Labrador’s action plan will promote the increased use of telehealth services, and greater integration, connection and support for primary health practitioners.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has taken a number of actions to address the opioid crisis in their province both through legislation, funding, and in partnership with stakeholders and grassroots community organizations.

In addition to the federal funding, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing nearly $2.7 million to further enhance treatment services to support a new model for opioid dependence treatment.

Emergency Treatment Fund

Announced as part of the Budget 2018 funding to help address the opioid crisis, the Emergency Treatment Fund provides one-time emergency funding of $150 million for provinces and territories to improve access to evidence-based treatment services. This fund is cost-shared with provinces and territories and will bring the total investment in emergency treatment to close to $300 million once bilateral agreements are signed with all provinces and territories.

The federal government has allocated funding based on the severity of the opioid crisis in the province or territory and the size of the population in the jurisdiction. This ensures that provinces and territories most impacted by the crisis have enough support, and that other jurisdictions are able to prepare for possible future impacts. Federal funding is matched by the province or territory beyond the first $250,000, and the jurisdiction has up to five years to match the initial investment of money from the federal government.

As part of each bilateral agreement, an action plan will be posted on the Canada.ca website. In addition, each province and territory will be asked to report at regular intervals to share the progress made to increase access to innovative and evidence-based treatment in their jurisdiction.

For more information on federal actions on the opioid crisis, please visit Canada.ca/Opioids.