The Ford government says it will align with federal guidelines on nurse practitioners, a policy the province requested clarification on two years ago.
The federal government set an April 1 deadline for provinces to fund all medically necessary services from nurse practitioners. Ontario will miss the deadline, though no penalties are expected until 2027.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province will comply with the now-clarified federal guidelines but expressed dissatisfaction with the federal approach.
"What they’ve said is, ‘It’s your problem, you fix it,’" she said. "We were looking for some leadership from the federal government to make sure there was consistency."
In January 2025, the federal government asked provinces to create a public funding model for nurse practitioners, setting the April 2026 deadline Ontario will now miss.
Nurse practitioners in Ontario can assess patients, order and interpret tests, and prescribe medication and treatment. They work in various settings, including family health teams, hospitals, and more than two dozen publicly-funded clinics.
Two years ago, private subscription fee-based clinics raised concerns. Jones called on the federal government to close a loophole allowing such clinics to operate.
"If there is a wedge that is allowing these clinics to happen, then perhaps the member opposite could pick up the phone and call their federal counterparts," she said in March 2024.
In her 2024 letter, Jones asked the federal government to work with provinces to close the loophole and prevent nonphysicians from charging for publicly funded services.
Ontario Liberal MPP Adil Shamji criticized the government for missing the deadline and suggested patients should be reimbursed for out-of-pocket fees.