Photo credit: the Canadian Press
Premiers said they remain a united Team Canada against a common adversary in the US as they wrapped up talks Wednesday ahead of a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The Canadian Press reports that all 13 provincial and territorial leaders, who were gathering for an annual summer meeting, also called on the federal government to boost its share of health care funding and back major projects that can spur their economies.
The premiers’ conference in Charlottetown, P.E.I., was upended after UA President Donald Trump signed orders to increase tariffs by 50 per cent on a variety of goods ranging from hockey sticks to honey to cement.
The US says the tariffs to be applied on August 19, and without exemptions, are in response to provincial bans on US liquor, Canada’s supply-managed dairy system and quotas on certain US vehicles.
While Trump’s threat of more economic pressure on Canada have loomed large over the three-day meeting, the premiers spent hours in roundtable deliberations on Wednesday to work out shared domestic products.
The premiers requested Ottawa renew health transfer agreements with the provinces and territories that will start expiring next year and commit to increasing the share of health care funding by five per cent annually starting in April 2028.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said maintaining universal access to a working health care system is a crucial part of creating a strong and independent Canada.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston added that “healthy people drive healthy economies.”
Additionally, the group of leaders urged the federal government to continue its efforts to expedite permit approvals for large projects, such as pipelines and critical mineral extraction sites.
Federal investments in energy security were also top of mind.
