The Honourable Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island, today affirmed his support for the new social union framework accord.
"This federal provincial agreement is based upon mutual respect between levels of government and represents a willingness to work more closely together to try and address Canadians' expectations for social programs," says Premier Binns. "The new framework agreement will serve as a blueprint for federal provincial cooperation and sets a new course for the development of social programs in Canada."
Premier Binns notes the agreement establishes many firsts for federal provincial relations. The social union agreement defines principles for social programs and includes an accountability framework obliging governments to report on their progress in achieving social program outcomes. The agreement includes new provisions to eliminate unreasonable barriers between provinces for Canadians to access social programs and emphasizes a partnership approach requiring the federal government to consult with provincial partners prior to introducing new national social programs.
The Premier added that the federal government's promise to restore federal health care funding will result in an additional $5-million to $10-million dollars for the province's health care system, depending upon federal tax revenues. All Premiers have pledged that all new federal funding for health care will be invested by the provinces into their health care systems.
The Premier stresses the social union agreement affirms a strong role for the federal government to address the needs of poorer regions and provinces. "I think this agreement is a milestone in federal provincial relations," says Premier Binns. "The spirit of cooperation displayed since these negotiations began in December, 1997 has confirmed that our federal system is flexible and can serve national, regional and provincial interests. The success of Thursday's talks shows that the federation can evolve, without having to resort to constitutional amendments."