Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on strengthening public health care 

Speech

Vancouver, BC - March 31, 2023

Good morning.

First, I’d like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh  Nations.

I am really glad to be here today in Vancouver and to have had the chance to talk to, but mostly listen to, the incredible people at the Three Bridges Community Health Centre.

Community health centres like this one are essential to keeping Canadians healthy. Health workers, like the ones I had the privilege to hear from today, are on the front lines of our public health care system.

I want to say to everyone who I heard from today, to the people here with me, that I really value what you do. The government really values what you do. I know that all Canadians really appreciate and admire and are grateful for your work and for the care that you give all of us every single day.

I wanted to start by saying, to the health care workers I met today: you do a really hard job, and you do a really important job, keeping the people of Vancouver safe and healthy. So let me just say: thank you very much!

As Finance Minister, I also know that a strong and effective health care system is essential to our economy. Because our economy is driven by a strong and healthy Canadian workforce.

That is why a key pillar of the budget I tabled this week was about strengthening our universal public health care system by delivering the comprehensive, $198 billion investment in public health care that the Prime Minister announced last month.

Here in BC, this additional investment means an additional $28.5 billion for public health care over the next ten years.

That’s $28.5 billion to ensure British Columbians have access to family doctors and nurse practitioners, to provide better access to mental health services, to tackle the unacceptable backlog of surgeries, and to ensure that every single person in this great province, in beautiful British Colombia, receives the care they need.

And just as we reinforce our public health care system, we are also extending its reach. With a plan to provide dental care for millions of Canadians, we will ensure that no one has to choose between paying the bills and taking care of their teeth.

Today in Canada, you can tell the size of someone’s paycheque by their smile. That’s wrong, and we’re going to change that.

On top of these historic investments in public health care, we are also delivering nearly $360 million to combat the opioid crisis that has devastated so many of our families and communities across Canada.

That’s what I heard about from amazing, compassionate, hard-working health care providers this morning. T[BD1] his really is a crisis, and it is a crisis that touches so many of us in Canada, and it really is essential for all of us to act.

I know how hard everyone here is working. The work you do here saves lives. And more Canadians need access to harm reduction services like the ones you provide here at Three Bridges.

The new funding will mean more than $1.1 billion in total funding for the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy since 2017—that is because we know that harm reduction and a compassionate and evidence-based approach to this crisis is absolutely essential.

I heard so much about the importance of that approach, from the really heroic people I listened to this morning.

By funding community-based supports at places like this, by tackling substance abuse among young Canadians, and by cracking down on drug trafficking and working to cut off the global supply of these devastating substances, we will help save lives—here in Vancouver, across BC, and across Canada.

Our government is investing in health care because it matters to Canadians. It matters to our children, to our parents, to our friends, and to our neighbours.

Because it is critical to building healthier, safer communities across Canada. And because British Columbians should be able to rely on a world-class, publicly funded health care system—one that is deserving of its place at the very heart of what it means to be Canadian.

Thank you very much.

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