Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos kicked off a ministerial summit by saying the federal government will boost transfers to provinces and territories if they agree on common health indicators for comparisons and on standards for exchanging patient medical information. (The Logic)

Talking point: That Canada has 13 distinct health systems is an ongoing challenge for finding best practices and making patients’ experiences better. B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix, who’s hosting the meeting in Vancouver, said the provinces will look at Duclos’s offer but most of all they want the federal government to increase transfers to cover 35 per cent of health costs, up from 22 per cent (that would have meant an increase of nearly $28 billion last year). They have previously demanded that boost in funding unconditionally, with five per cent annual increases. Ontario, Quebec, B.C. and Alberta are all running budget surpluses, while the federal government has a deficit.