Justin Trudeau uses divide and conquer tactic on health care funding

Just before Xmas last December the Liberal government offered the provinces a little more than half of what the previous right-wing Harper government had been paying Canadian provinces.

As mentioned in a previous Digital Journal article, the offer ran for just one day. There was no discussion of alternatives such as the 5.2 percent increase put forth by the premier of Prince Edward Island. Finance Minister Morneau's offer was 3.5 percent over five years. The Conservatives had been paying six percent. The rate will go back to three percent in April unless there is an agreement. The provinces were angry that the Liberal government came with a take-it-or-leave it attitude. They had hoped that there would be discussion and a negotiated agreement. The tactic shows the Liberal government is not willing to negotiate with the provinces but will try to impose policy on them, a policy far less liberal in its funding then that the right-wing Conservatives had been following. Ever since the meeting Ottawa has been trying with considerable success to strike deals with individual provinces.

Three eastern Liberal provinces broke ranks. First New Brunswick struck a deal and then Nova Scotia and, Newfoundland and Labrador. Also in the north Yukon and two territories came to an agreement with Ottawa. Now one of the prairie provinces, Saskatchewan, has also broken ranks and reached an agreement with Ottawa.

Saskatchewan has also reached a separate agreement with the federal government over private MRI clinics. The province will have a one year reprieve to show that private MRI's do not hurt the public health care system. Under the deal Saskatchewan will receive $190.3 million for home care and $158.5 million for mental health services but over ten years. The agreement comes just a day after the agreement with the Yukon, the two territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

While Ottawa may have succeeded in destroying the solidarity among the provinces in opposing the original deal, the five most populous provinces have yet to sign, as well as Prince Edward Island. Even though they have struck a deal with the Liberal government, Saskatchewan and the territories added their signatures to a letter sent by the other provinces to the PM Trudeau:"Premiers remain united and determined in seeking a multilateral agreement. Premiers also recognize that provinces and territories face unique local circumstances, which led some of them to sign bilateral health agreements. However, premiers representing 90 per cent of Canada's population continue to seek a fair deal for long-term health funding from the federal government."

The holdout provinces have said the deal offered by Ottawa last December will further reduce the federal government's share of health spending to unacceptably low levels. Health care is jointly funded by the provinces and the federal government with each province having its own plan that must be in accord with the Canada Health Act. The federal funding helps out particularly those poorer provinces who have problems funding the level of service of richer provinces, so that there is a more uniform quality of service across the country.

The Quebec health minister criticized the Saskatchewan agreement and argued that the agreement on MRI's violated the law as MRI are to be free and publicly paid for. Saskatchewan allows residents to pay for an MRI test in a private clinic. In return the private clinic must offer a scan free to someone on the public waiting list. Back in November Jane Philpott, the federal health minister warned the Saskatchewan health minister that under the Canada Health Act the federal government could withhold funds from provinces that charged for medically necessary services. Federal officials claim that the MRI agreement is unrelated to the deal on funding. Obviously it sweetens the deal for Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Health Minister Jim Reiter said that Saskatchewan would have a year to prove to the Liberal government that its policy on MRI's is consistent with the Canada Health Act. Of course it is de rigeur in Canada for politicians to claim they support our health care system, even Conservative Premier Stephen Harper did so. However politicians at the same time would like to "modernize and improve it" often by having more private involvement which pleases some lobbyists and can bring in more donations. Philpott's office displays the common rhetoric in its statement:"Minister Philpott is committed to working with Saskatchewan to strengthen our publicly funded, universal health-care system, while at the same time upholding the principles of the Act, and has asked officials to work with Saskatchewan officials over the next year in this regard,"Among the ways the Liberals are strengthening the system is by reducing funding and refusing to negotiate funding with the provinces. When a province such as Saskatchewan introduces private for profit services as with the MRIs, it does not punish the province but gives it a year to show that it does not harm the operation of the Canada Health Act. Former Conservative PM Harper who was always criticized by the Liberals provided almost twice as much.

Canada's ethics commissioner to investigate Trudeau family vacation on private Bermuda island.

Mary Dawson, Canada's ethics commissioner said that she was satisfied that a letter to her by Conservative ethics critic Blain Calkins brought up issues regarding a Trudeau family vacation that met the requirement for an investigation.

The Trudeau family took a vacation to the private island home of the rich philanthropist and spiritual leader Aga Khan in Bermuda:

Aga Khan is also transliterated as Aqa Khan and Agha Khan;[1] born 13 December 1936) is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailism, a denomination of Isma'ilism within Shia Islam consisting of an estimated 25 million adherents (about 20% of the world's Shia Muslim population).[2][3][4][5] The Aga Khan is a British[6] business magnate,[2][7][8][9] racehorse owner and breeder.[7][10]His worth is estimated at around $800 million USD. Aga Khan was the first faith leader to address a session of the Canadian parliament on the 27th of February 2014. He has received honorary degrees from several Canadian universities.

The Conservative MP pointed out to Dawson that the visit pointed to potential violation of the Conflict of Interest Act. Trudeau used the philanthropists private helicopter and accepted hospitality from a "friend" whose foundation receives millions of dollars in funds from the federal government. Dawson said: "I have therefore commenced an examination under subsection 44(3) of the Act to determine whether Mr. Trudeau has contravened sections 11 and 12 of the Act in connection with his recent stay at and travel to the Aga Khan's privately owned island. I will also examine whether Mr. Trudeau may have contravened his obligations under sections 6 and 21 of the Act."

The National Post reported that Trudeau and his family went to Khan's Bell Island for a post-Xmas family vacation. Trudeau confirmed they were flown to the island by Khan's private helicopter. The Prime Minister's Office(PMO) also confirmed that others were guests on the trip including Liberal MP Seamus O'Regan and his husband Steve Douss, and President of the Liberal Party, Anna Gainey and her husband.

Section 11 of the Conflict of Interest Act prohibits office holders from accepting gifts that could be seen as influencing the recipent with respect to an official power, duty, or function. An exception is if the gift is part of a protocol or is from a relative or friend. Section 12 forbids ministers from accepting travel on non-commercial or private aircraft for any purpose unless it is required by his or her position, unless there are exceptional circumstances or with prior approval of the Commissioner. The Liberal government's own guidelines also do not allow sponsored travel unless it is "exceptional circumstance and only with the prior approval of the ethics commissioner." Trudeau admits he did not go to the ethics commission before he took his trip.

NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and NDP ethics critic Alexandre Bouleric also wrote to Dawson calling the trip deeply disturbing and asking her to expedite part of the investigation. Their letter read in part: "We recognize that a full investigation of the inappropriate trip may take some time, but the use of private aircraft is a clear-cut violation that could be addressed more swiftly. We are therefore requesting that you fast track this piece of your investigation and that you make a clear declaration that the Prime Minister has broken the law." The maximum penalty that Trudeau could face for violation of this section of the act is a "notice of violation". However, it would enable opposition politicians to claim that Trudeau's action brings into question the government's commitment to ethical conduct and transparency. The office of the ethics commissioner was established in 2007 by then Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Trudeau will be able to argue that his travel by private helicopter to Bell Island involved exceptional circumstances since he claims travel to the island "only happens through private means". Trudeau pointed out that Khan was a long time friend of his family and had been a pallbearer at his father's funeral. Calkins asked whether given Trudeau's friendship with Khan that he should recuse himself when the government was dealing with the Agha Khan Development Network(AKDN). For Trudeau, Khan's being a friend allows him to accept the gift.

The AKDN has received millions of dollars for projects from both the Liberal and Conservative government. The most recent grant was for $55 million to improve health services in Afghanistan. It was announced by the Trudeau government. The vacation certainly raises questions of conflict of interest involving Trudeau.