New health minister engaging with provinces, territories...

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New health minister [Jane Philpott] engaging with provinces, territories as soon as next week

[ http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015 ... -week.html ]

Jane Philpott is getting straight to work on critical portfolio issues including legalizing marijuana and doctor-assisted death.

New health minister Jane Philpott says the Liberals will need to get started quickly to accomplish their ambitious mandate.

By: Kristy Kirkup The Canadian Press, Published on Sat Nov 07 2015

OTTAWA—Canada’s new health minister Jane Philpott says she plans to engage with provincial and territorial counterparts as soon as next week as the Liberals set the wheels in motion to establish a new health accord.

In an interview, Philpott said the government perceives the agreement to be a high priority because executing other aspects of the Grit platform will depend on developing a strong relationship with the provinces and territories.

The 54-year-old physician also said she will attend a health ministers meeting scheduled for January.

In the coming months, the Liberals will try to usher in a new era of federal-provincial relations, especially on the health file.

The party was very critical of the previous Conservative government’s decision to allow Canada’s health accord — an action plan backed by billions of federal dollars to establish shared goals — to expire.

Philpott also faces critical legislative issues in her portfolio including a Liberal pledge to legalize marijuana.

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[ http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015 ... -week.html ]