Canadians are proud of our universal publicly funded health care system. No matter how much you make or where you were born, or what your parents do, you will receive the care you need. For generations, this idea has been fundamental to Canadians - and we will continue to build on that. 

Key ongoing actions :

• Providing $10 billion to provinces and territories to strengthen home care, community care, and long term care for seniors
• Improving Canadians' access to mental health services, including through $5 billion to provinces and territories to increase community based mental health and addictions services
• Delivering $6.5 billion through Canada Health Transfer top-ups to provinces and territories to address immediate pressures in our public health care system
• Launching the Canada Dental Benefit for children under 12, which has already helped more than 240,000 children receive the dental care they need.
• Providing $5.5 billion for primary care and public health on reserve, distinctions-based mental health support, non-insured health benefits for First Nations and Inuit
• $1.2 billion to support 248 health-related infrastructure projects in First Nation communities
• Investing more than $800 million since 2017 through the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy to support a compassionate and evidence-based response to the overdose crisis
• Launching a sexual and reproductive health fund to help make sexual and reproductive health information and services more accessible for vulnerable populations. 

      1. Health Care Results and Accountability

More funding is not the only key to deliver better health care outcomes. Which is why, in exchange for funding, the government has asked provinces and territories to:

• Ensure that new federal investments are used in addition to provincial spending, and that provinces and territories do not divert away health care funding of their own
• Uphold the Canada Health Act and use new federal spending to strengthen Canada's public health care system
• Streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals and advance multi-jurisdictional credential recognition so that Canada's well-trained health care professionals can work wherever there is need
• Improve how health information is collected, shared, used, and reported to Canadians, and adopt common data standards
• Develop action plans to measure and report progress to Canadians, including, 1) improved access to family health services, 2) mental health and substance use services, 3) supporting health care workers, 4) reducing backlogs and wait lists
• Commit to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, including fair and equitable access to quality and culturally safe health services

      2. Investing in Better Healthcare Data

In addition to providing funding, the Federal government will also provide $505 million over five years - to the Canadian Health Institute for Health Information, Canada Health Infoway, and other federal data partners. 

      3. Encouraging more doctors and Nurses

Many rural and remote communities lack access to primary health care because of a shortage of health professionals. To address this, the government will:

• Provide $45.9 million over four years, starting in 2024-25, with $11.7 million ongoing, to Employment and Social Development Canada to expand the reach of the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness program to more rural communities.
• This includes all communities with populations of 30,000 or fewer.
• Current eligible communities with a population over 30,000 will remain eligible until the 2026 census.

      4. Strengthening Retirement Saving for Personal Support Workers

Personal support workers are the backbone of long-term care for our seniors and persons with disabilities. To complement the investments made to improve the state of long-term care facilities, including the working conditions and wages of personal support workers, the government is proposing new investments to support Canada's PSW's.

• The proposal includes up to $50 million over five years starting in 2023-24, to Employment and Social Development Canada to develop and test innovative solutions to strengthen the retirement savings of PSW's - without workplace retirement security coverage. 

      5. Fighting Crime and Saving Lives - Combatting the Opioid Crisis

Saving and rebuilding lives and communities remains a key focus for the government - which is why among other improvements to health care services for Canadians, new funding of $42.6 billion for provinces and territories will help provide Canadians with access to timely, equitable mental health and substance use services.

• Budget 2023 proposes to provide a total of $359.2 million over five years, starting in 2023-24.
• $144 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to fund community based supports, including safer supply, supervised consumption sites, and other evidence-based health interventions.
• $20.2 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to the Public Health Agency of Canada for a new community-based program to prevent substance use among young people.
• $73.9 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, with $4.6 million ongoing, to Health Canada to streamline authorizations for supervised.
• $50.8 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, with $1.1 million ongoing and $1.3 million in remaining amortization - to Health Canada
• As well as $16 million over five years, starting 2023-24, to the Public Health Agency of Canada to support vital data collection
• $4.6 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to Public Safety Canada to develop an overdose monitoring app for paramedics and first responders
• $42 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, $6.2 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to Public Services and Procurement Canada.

      6. Implementing the 988 Suicide Prevention Line

It's important that people know they are not alone, and those suffering from suicidal thoughts need to be able to access timely, urgent support. Which is why Budget 2023 proposes:

• $158.4 million over three years, starting in 2023-24, to the Public Health Agency of Canada to support the implementation and operation of 988

      7. Safeguarding Access to Abortion and Other Services

The overturning of Roe V. Wade in the United States reminded us that we must continue to do everything we can to protect Canadians' access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care services, including abortion care.

• Budget 2023 proposes to provide $36 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Health Canada to renew the Sexual and Reproductive Health fund.

      8. Improving Canada's Readiness for Health Emergencies

Vaccines and other cutting-edge life-science innovations have helped us to take control of the COVID-19 pandemic. To support these efforts, the government has:

• Invested more than $1.8 million in 32 vaccine, therapeutic, and biomanufacturing projects across Canada
• Alongside $127 million for upgrades to specialized labs at universities across the country. 

Read more about investing in public healthcare here