Ford says PM agrees ‘status quo is not working’ amid health crisis
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TORONTO — Well being care was the highest precedence in an hour-long dialogue between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the province’s chief stated Tuesday.
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The 2 leaders met on the Ontario legislature — the primary time Trudeau visited Ford at his workplace since 2018.
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Ontario is grappling with a disaster in hospitals throughout the province, with many emergency departments quickly shutting down for hours or days at a time this summer season, largely attributable to a extreme scarcity of nurses.
Ford stated he mentioned with Trudeau pending Ontario laws that will drive sufferers in hospital awaiting long-term care to nursing properties not of their selecting on a short lived foundation. The province believes that transfer will ease the burden hospitals.
“We agreed that the established order is just not working,” Ford informed reporters after the assembly.
The premier shared few particulars in regards to the a part of their dialog on the looming laws, which has sparked widespread criticism from seniors and long-term care advocates.
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Earlier than the assembly received underway, Trudeau stated that the 2 can be there for Ontarians throughout this “troublesome time.”
“I do know Canadians wish to see the orders of presidency working collectively,” Trudeau stated.
“And I’m at all times on the lookout for that and I actually respect your welcome right here.”
The province has additionally stated it is going to revamp the health-care system with extra publicly coated surgical procedures carried out at non-public clinics.
“We do must ship otherwise,” Ford stated.
The premier has lengthy been asking for billions of {dollars} extra from the federal authorities for well being care.
“We all know how pressing that is and we’re gonna ensure that we sit down and actually work out a deal,” he stated.
“He is aware of what we’re on the lookout for.”
Ford stated that he and the leaders of the opposite provinces and territories all want extra assist with well being care. Like Ontario, hospitals throughout the nation are grappling with short-term emergency room closures attributable to staffing shortages.
He stated he additionally mentioned housing, infrastructure and immigration with Trudeau.
Ford has beforehand stated the province has greater than 300,000 jobs that should be stuffed and that he desires to ramp up immigration.
“We introduced in about 211,000 folks final yr, and we actually wish to work with the federal authorities attempting to get that circulate going by means of sure sectors that we determined desperately want,” he stated, citing the necessity for extra staff in health-care and the expert trades in addition to untrained staff.
“We want folks,” he stated.
