Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Gold, Canadians are facing a health care crisis with a shortage of health care workers, overcrowding of emergency departments, critical lack of family doctors, an aging population and surgical and imaging backlogs.

The rapid advancement of virtual care technologies presents an opportunity to redesign Canada’s health care system to better serve Canadians while saving taxpayers millions of dollars by eliminating unnecessary travel through effective virtual diagnosis.

One example of this — funded by the federal government and the Province of Saskatchewan — is Saskatchewan’s virtual health hub, led by Whitecap Development Corporation. It aims to serve Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians who live in rural and remote locations.

Given the proven effectiveness and potential of this initiative to improve access, wait times, procedure times and other health care challenges, what is the federal government doing to raise awareness of this innovative solution and to encourage other provinces and territories in their adoption and development of similar programs?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Indeed, in order to transform Canada’s public health system so that it meets the needs of Canadians in the 21st century, all levels of government and all health providers and partners must work together to do what is needed.

The federal government is doing its part by stepping up with close to $200 billion in direct health care funding to transform our health care system, together in partnership with the provinces and territories.

The agreements that the federal government has entered into with the provinces and territories target what matters most to Canadians — more doctors and nurses, shorter wait times, better health care and innovative institutions and initiatives like the health hub, to which you properly referred. I have every confidence that the federal government will continue to work in partnership with the provinces and territories to deliver more innovative programs such as the health hub.

Senator Klyne: With respect to the jurisdiction of provinces and territories, Canada, as a whole, suffers when we do not have solid health care and education systems, and particularly health care. It is difficult to recruit investors to bring employees here and it is difficult to retain the employers we already have. Thank you.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your comment.