Should the government cut its health transfer spending levels?

Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, November 30, 2011.(Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)In an interview with CBC's Evan Solomon on The House, Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney said the government's current level of health transfers is unsustainable.

Kenney said that according to his party's election platform, the government will fund health transfers at an annual increase of six per cent each year until 2016.

With the current Health Accord set to expire in 2014, the federal government "will be having discussions with the provinces on where to go beyond that," said Kenney.

"Many of the provinces are [already] controlling the growth in health care costs, and it's less than six per cent."

"I think everyone recognizes that we cannot continue annual increases of six per cent, or more in some of the provinces, year after year," said Kenney.

"For some of the provinces, if they continue in that trajectory, there will be nothing left for education, for universities, for anything else."

The future of health care transfers is just part of the government's plan to find $4 billion in annual savings over the next three years - but according to Kenney, the cuts could ring up to $8 billion annually.

Should the government continue its six per cent per year increase in health transfers past 2016, or do you agree with Kenney that the current level is unsustainable? Where should the planned $4-8 billion in spending cuts start? Let us know in the comments section below.


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