Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen is disappointed in the way the federal government is handling negotiations on a new deal for health care funding. After a failed meeting with all the provinces in Ottawa last month, the federal government has negotiated individual deals with five provinces and the territories. Goertzen says Manitoba is standing firm with Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and B.C., which represent 90 percent of the country's population, in working on a national deal. He doesn't like the approach Ottawa has taken.

"I am concerned about the approach that the federal government is taking by looking at the divide-and-conquer method of health care funding. I'm still encouraged that 90% of the population, the provinces that represent 90% of the population of Canada, are sill united and calling for the prime minister to fulfill his election promise and to meet with the premiers to have a real discussion about what health care funding is going to looking like going forward ten years."

Goertzen says provinces like Saskatchewan, which have signed individual deals with Ottawa, recognize the federal funding they will get is well short of what they require and the agreements will put more pressure on the finances of those provinces.

"Even those provinces that have signed deals recognize that it's well short of what they actually are going to require. They all will tell you that the percentage of health care that'll be funded by the federal government will slide under those deals. Right now in Manitoba, about 19% of the health care costs are paid for by the federal government. The hope is that the federal government would be there for 25%."

Goertzen notes he has no problem with the prime minister's desire to increase funding for things like mental health programs but adds it should not come at the cost of other health care programs.

"In some ways, he is saying, look we'll try to increase the funding a little bit for an area like mental health but it's going to come at the cost of 90% of the rest of the health care system. That's a dangerous strategy. I think it's not only disingenuous, but it's a dangerous strategy."