It was great to sit down with some students earlier because health care starts with people, with the workers who dedicate themselves to taking care of others, make sure they get the training, skills and support they need to give patients the very best care.

I had the chance to meet people studying health sciences a little earlier, people who are ambitious and inspiring. These students represent the future of our healthcare system, and today we're  here to talk about that; the future of health care in Manitoba.

Every year, thousands of people put up their hands to become healthcare workers in Canada, like these students here at RRC. They join the hundreds of thousands of professionals who uphold one of the key promises linked to being Canadian, that no matter where you live, what you earn, you will always have access to high-quality, publicly funded health care.

But we have to be honest with ourselves, even as we take pride in our system, there are some real challenges facing our health systems right now. It can be too hard to access a family doctor or a nurse practitioner, emergency rooms are too often overwhelmed, people are waiting for the surgeries they need, and healthcare workers are under immense pressure, working in conditions that make it even harder to be there for their patients.

The people of Manitoba deserve a system that is there for them, that they can rely on, that's what every Canadian deserves. And that's why last year our government stepped up. We've committed $200 billion over the next decade to strengthen public health care in Canada. As part of this investment, we said we'd work on tailored agreements with each province and territory to help address their unique challenges and needs, and today, we're announcing that we've reached our seventh agreement, this one with the great province of Manitoba.

(Applause)

Last year, we committed to investing $200 billion over the next decade to strengthen public health care in Canada, and we're working with each province to meet their unique needs. Today, we have a major announcement to improve the healthcare system for Manitobans.

Our government will invest $434 million over the next three years to help Manitoba. It will increase the number of doctors in the province and recruit healthcare workers for rural and northern communities. It'll make it easier for healthcare professionals to practice in Manitoba, including those with foreign credentials. We’ll see reduced wait times at ERs, and we’ll address blockages and backlogs. We’ll ensure people have access to the mental health care they need, including young people. We'll modernize the healthcare system and we'll be addressing gaps in care experienced all too often by Indigenous peoples.

In addition, we're making real investments to improve the lives of seniors in Manitoba, almost $200 million on top of the previous $434, which will mean more home and community care and better-quality long-term care, including more personalized care for people who live in long-term care.

In short, we have two agreements with Manitoba today, totalling $633 million to improve health care, including investments in home care, community care and long-term care for seniors. We look forward to continuing to work together to transform care and deliver real results.

These investments are about delivering real results, about improving patient care and patient outcomes, including for the most vulnerable. Nothing is more important than your health. The Federal government is therefore stepping up to make sure that provinces and territories are equipped to deliver the care you expect and deserve, and to protect the promise of our universally publicly funded healthcare system that is core to who we are as Canadians.

The pandemic has shown us just how important it is to invest in health care, and reminded us just how essential healthcare workers are.

So, I want to wrap up by thanking all the healthcare students here who've put up their hand to do this work. Wab and I just had a great conversation with a number of young people who talked about the calling, the drive they felt to get into health care and contribute to their communities, their desire, in many cases, to be able to take what they're learning here and return to their communities to deliver health care to the families and neighbours that they grew up with.

But also, we talked a lot about the mental health pressures on our frontline healthcare workers and how governments of all stripes need to do a better job of supporting them, and not just supporting them when they're facing their most acute challenges, but supporting them in a proactive way so people can stay resilient and healthy longer, even in the critically important and sometimes very, very emotionally difficult jobs that they're doing.

So, I want to thank every doctor, social worker, paramedic, orderly, therapist, OT, and the list goes on and on and on, of professionals who step up to serve their communities, to serve their fellow Canadians. You are there for us, and today we're here to tell you that we will be there for you. You keep us healthy, you keep Canada strong, you continue to make Canada the very best country in the world, and we're going to keep working hard to make sure it becomes even better.