Canada's troubled healthcare system will be the topic of discussion as the premiers of Ontario and Nova Scotia meet in Halifax.

The meeting held today between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his counterpart in Nova Scotia Tim Houston comes ahead of the so-called premiers' summit on Monday.

Ford and Houston will travel to Moncton, where Ford is scheduled to meet individually with New Brunswick Premier Dennis King and Federal Government Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, before the provincial leaders then meet for their summit tomorrow, Monday.

Ford's visit to the Maritimes comes at a time when Ontario's healthcare system has been strained due to staff shortages in recent weeks, with some emergency rooms forced to close for hours or even days at a time, which will be the main focus of the meeting between the leaders.