Conference of Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Health

HALIFAX, November 24, 2011 — Provincial and Territorial Health andWellness Ministers are working to ensure better health, better care and bettervalue for Canadians.

The Ministers renewed their commitment to focusing on commonissues affecting provinces and territories, including accelerating innovationto improve care for patients and families and promoting healthy living.

“Provinces and territories are dedicated to preserving andenhancing public health care services. We identified key pressures and trendsas well as opportunities to collaborate. We are steadfast in our commitment topromote healthy living among Canadians as a means to prevent illness,’’ saidthe Honourable Maureen MacDonald, Minister of Health and Wellness, Governmentof Nova Scotia.

Participatingprovinces and territories remain fully resolved and committed to a pan-Canadianapproach to the negotiation of fair prices for drug listings. Ministers believethat in working together, they will ensure they will get the right drugs toCanadians who need them, at the best price possible.

A strongfederal commitment and meaningful collaboration with provinces and territories,except Quebec, is important in order to significantly reduce childhood obesityand sodium consumption in Canada. Provincial and Territorial Health andWellness Ministers have committed to helping Canadians make healthy choices toavoid and reduce obesity and hypertension as well as other conditionsassociated with a high sodium diet. They endorsed two reports focused onincreasing access and availability of healthy foods, decreasing marketing ofunhealthy foods to children, reducing sodium in the food supply, raisingawareness and monitoring progress and committed to the development ofmeaningful reporting mechanism. Ministers also recognized the leadership rolethat the federal government has in this debate as well as their part inaddressing these complex issues. Ministers look forward to furthercollaboration and ask the Government of Canada to champion a healthy livingagenda for Canadians.

WhileQuebec shares the general goals of sodium reduction and healthy weights, itdoes not subscribe to a Canada wide strategy in these areas. Quebec intends toremain solely responsible for developing and implementing programs forpromoting healthy living within its territory. However, Quebec does intend tocontinue exchanging information and best practices with other governments inCanada.

Ministers also discussed the importance of addressing mentalhealth, an issue that touches all families and the need to integrate servicesacross government departments and agencies to improve mental wellness andillness prevention. Manitoba Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau confirmed thatthe national Mental Health Summit will be held in February 15-16, 2012 andlooks forward to welcoming colleagues from all provinces and territories towork together on improving mental health.

Provincial and Territorial ministers discussed the importance ofthe 2004 health accord and how it supported making significant improvements tohealth care that have resulted from federal-provincial-territorialpartnerships. Ministers agreed that continued stable, predictable funding iscrucial to supporting better care and outcomes for patients, families andcommunities across the country.

They look forward to discussions with their federal health carecolleagues tomorrow.

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Media contact:

Sherri Aikenhead
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Wellness
Government of Nova Scotia
902-456-6386
Sherri.Aikenhead@gov.ns.ca