Trudeau focuses on health care during Halifax visit

At a campaign stop at Dalhousie University, the Liberal leader pledged $6 billion to help reduce health care waitlists

 HalifaxToday Staff

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau focused on health care during a Monday morning visit to Halifax.

At a campaign stop at Dalhousie University, he pledged $6 billion to help reduce health care waitlists.

“Waitlists have grown and grown, and not just because of COVID-19,” he said. “We’re going to eliminate the backlog that has been building for years and reduce wait times for you and your family.”

Another $3 billion would go to hire 7,500 family doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners.

According to the Canadian Medical Association, around five million Canadians don’t have a primary care physician, or family health care team.

If elected, the Liberals say they’ll also expand virtual health care and help recruit health professionals for rural regions by increasing student loan forgiveness and helping them set up practices.

“This is our moment to rebuild a healthcare system that works for all Canadians, and that our kids can be proud to inherit,” Trudeau stated.

“We’ve been sitting down with provinces on health care since Day 1 of being in government,” he added. “Over the past 17 months specifically, we’ve worked extremely closely with the provinces and we hear them, that the federal government needs to step up with more funding to make sure people are getting better care right across this country.”

Trudeau is heading to St. John’s for an event Monday evening.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is in Ottawa today where he’ll make an announcement, before hosting a couple of virtual telephone town halls.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is campaigning in Montreal, where he’s scheduled to make a climate change announcement.