Prime Minister Doug Ford once again called on the federal government to provide financial support in the face of the growing employment crisis in hospitals that has led to the closure of some Ontario hospitals in recent weeks.

Ford said at an unrelated press conference in Stratford, Ontario on Wednesday, "It is not sustainable for the federal government to give us 22 percent. We are paying 78 percent. And this is across the country."

We will continue to demand that the federal government do more for the public interest.

Ford’s comments come after a number of emergency room and intensive care unit closures across the province during the long weekend, which forced 25 hospitals to make changes to their operations.

Furthermore, on Tuesday, the University Health Network (UHN) informed CP24 that three intensive care units in one of Toronto’s busiest hospitals.

Ford did not offer any new solutions to address the employment crisis.

From the provincial side, Ford defended the work his government has done so far to address the problem in Ontario’s struggling healthcare system.

This includes hiring more than 10,500 new healthcare workers, adding 3,100 hospital beds, streamlining the process for internationally trained nurses through the College of Nurses of Ontario, and paying a one-time $5,000 bonus announced in March to retain current nurses.

However, Ford did not mention whether his government will repeal Bill 124 or not before it expires.

The bill, which limits public sector wage increases to one percent—including those working in healthcare—was introduced in 2019 as a “fair and time-limited approach” to dealing with the province’s deficit.

Since then, calls for its repeal have become a loud outcry among healthcare workers in Ontario, some of whom described the bill itself as “a slap in the face.”