PREMIER WANTS COMMITMENT ON HEALTH DOLLARS

Premier Lorne Calvert today said he expects Prime Minister Paul Martin to confirm that his government will provide provinces with an additional $2 billion one-time payment for health care when he and his provincial counterparts meet with the prime minister on Friday in Ottawa. This will mean an additional one-time payment of $60 million for Saskatchewan.

"I intend to emphasize that we need a longer term financial commitment from Ottawa that is both predictable and sufficient to make the kinds of reforms that are needed on a national basis in areas such as primary care, catastrophic drug coverage, and home care," Calvert said.

"There is a gap between what Commissioner Romanow recommended the federal government needs to invest and what the former Prime Minister committed to in February of 2003. That gap needs to be closed over the next couple of years."

Calvert said, in addition to health care funding, his priorities at the meeting are BSE and Canada-U.S. relations.

"I intend to use this meeting to personally acknowledge the prime minister's efforts and those of his agriculture minister to re-open the U.S. border to live animals and emphasize the need to continue to make progress on the basis of sound science."

The premiers and prime minister will discuss how they can work together to improve our trade and other relations with the United States.

"Maintaining and expanding access to the U.S. market and improving Canada-U.S. relations overall is a collective challenge that demands that we co-operate with one another," Calvert said.

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For More Information, Contact:

Rob Cunningham Executive Council Regina Phone: (306) 787-6349 Cell: (306)539-1126