Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says no to side health deal with Ottawa

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he will not sign a bilateral deal with the federal government on health-care funding.

Pallister says it is not useful to agree to extra money for services such as mental health at the expense of most other areas of the health system.

He says the federal offer supplies better services to about 10 per cent of patients, and offers next to nothing for the other 90 per cent.

Saskatchewan signed an agreement Tuesday that provides an extra $349-million over 10 years in federal cash for home care and mental health.

But it also limits annual increases in health transfer payments to either three per cent or a three-year average of economic growth – whichever is higher.

Pallister says Manitoba will remain opposed to the side deals along with Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and others.