Ford government’s per-person spending on health care in 2020 lowest in country: FAO
Posted April 6, 2022 11:01 am.
Last Updated April 6, 2022 11:09 am.
Ontario’s fiscal watchdog says the provincial government’s total health care program spending in 2020 was the lowest in the country.
The independent Financial Accountability Office (FAO) found health spending per person in Ontario was $4,800 in 2020, the lowest in Canada, and $536 (10 per cent) below the average of the other provinces.
“Net debt levels increased in 2020. However, despite the impact of the pandemic on provincial finances, Ontario’s interprovincial per person rankings did not change significantly from 2019 to 2020,” a FAO report released on Wednesday said.
The watchdog also found that since 2008, Ontario’s per-person budget deficit has only been smaller than the average in the rest of Canada in four years: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020.
RELATED: Ford government spending billion less than planned, FAO report finds
Meanwhile, this came months after the FAO identified $2.6 billion less than planned was spent on health care between April 1 and June 30, 2021.
When asked about the report, an Ontario Ministry of Finance spokesperson said in a statement to CityNews the government has spent $51 billion to provide COVID-19-related financial support.
The statement also once again called for the federal government to boost health-care spending in order to build “strong, resilient health care systems that the people of Canada can rely on.”
Meanwhile, the Ford government is set to table its 2022 budget before April 30.
With files from Nick Westoll
