Today, the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan announced an agreement in principle for a shared plan that will invest $5.94 billion in federal funding over 10 years in Saskatchewan.

It includes $1.11 billion for a new bilateral agreement focusing on the shared health care priorities and $61 million through the immediate, one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries.

To get the money, provinces which sign an agreement in principle must still come up with specific plans showing how they will spend it and how they will prove their health-care systems are improving.

Almost one-quarter of the money is contingent on each province or territory agreeing to Ottawa’s conditions.

That includes that they upgrade their health-care data systems and target some funding to primary care, mental health, recruiting and retaining workers, and dealing with surgical backlogs.