Health care in Canada is in a perpetual state of crisis. As surgical wait lists grow, family doctor scarcity abounds, nurses quit the profession, and costs rise, the federal and provincial governments are under pressure to secure a deal to ensure that people who need it can get care that is timely, safe, and publicly insured.

In an effort to stanch the crisis, the federal government is putting new money on the table — to the tune of CAD $46 billion over the next decade. That money will be geared toward a wholesale fix of the system, with some of the cash allocated toward four spending focuses: primary care, health care human resources, mental health, and modernization. The federal government is also asking the provinces to chip in some cash of their own for those areas of focus. The deal includes annual increases of 5 percent each year for five years to the Canada Health Transfer, which hands over resources from the federal government to the provinces. This 5 percent increase will drop to 3 percent in year six of the deal.

The provinces are on board — they’ve accepted the deal. But they wanted more money and fewer conditions — much more money and many fewer stipulations. For months, Prime Minister Trudeau and his ministers have been saying that future money for provincial care ought to come with strings attached. In the past, money hasn’t solved the health care crisis. Indeed, in many areas it’s gotten worse, with longer wait times to get surgeries and to see specialists alongside fewer doctors and nurses. These shortfalls are not just because of the pandemic.