| Premiers Use Ads to Negotiate Health Care | |||||||||||
| Premiers Ad Campaign Pushes for More Federal Funding for Health Care | |||||||||||
Dateline: 09/28/02 Canadian provincial premiers are making sure their demands for more federal government money for health care are heard. The Canadian premiers have launched a $1.8 million newspaper and television ad campaign to try to push the federal government into spending more on health care. National ad campaigns seem to be the latest trend in federal-provincial negotiations in Canada. Earlier this month the Alberta government began a $1.5 million public relations campaign, including national advertising, to publicize its opposition to Canadian ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The premiers ad campaign on health begins just before the federal government outlines its agenda in the Speech from the Throne opening a new session of parliament on September 30, 2002. The ad campaign is scheduled to run until November 2002, which is when the Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada is due to submit its report. The Prime Minister has said he wants a First Ministers conference with the premiers on the health care system after the Romanow Commission report is complete, and federal Health Minister Anne McLellan has indicated the federal government would like to move quickly on the Romanow Commission's recommendations. The aim of the premiers ad campaign is to convince Canadians that the federal government is not spending its fair share on health care in Canada. The provincial premiers ads claim that the Canadian federal government has cut its share of health care funding from 50 to 14 percent over the years. The federal government says the premiers' number is inaccurate and has a detailed explanation on the Finance Canada site showing that federal expenditures on health are closer to 40 percent. The premiers ad campaign on health is being run under the auspices of the Premiers Council on Canadian Health Awareness. The organization was launched by the Canadian premiers in January 2002, with a budget and three full-time staff, to "enhance" public awareness of the issues, challenges and solutions involved in the future of health care in the provinces and territories in Canada. Each province and territory is contributing 20 cents per citizen to the budget, to give the council a total budget of $6 million a year. Explore Canada OnlineMust ReadsAbout.com Special FeaturesHoliday CentralWhat to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More > Weird Breaking NewsA daily look at some of the oddest (and dumbest) crimes around. More > ©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. | |||||||||||
