Manitoba's Health Minister says our aging population is creating challenges and it is becoming more and more difficult to not to have the full support from the federal government.

Kelvin Goertzen says provincial health care systems at one time were funded fifty per cent by the federal government. That is now less than twenty-five per cent in most provinces.

This topic will be discussed in Toronto Tuesday when provincial health ministers meet with federal Health Minister Jane Philpott.

"The costs of health care as our population ages on average is challenging," says Goertzen. "It's becoming more and more difficult and to not have the federal government at the level of partnership that we believe we need, makes it very challenging," he says.

Goertzen says providing health care is a partnership between the provincial and federal governments. He says the provinces need that partner and the federal government is well equipped to do that.

Another topic on the agenda is the concern around the misuse of drugs such as Fentanyl and Carfentanil. Last week, Goertzen referred to it as a problem in Manitoba and a crisis in some other provinces. He notes the federal Health Minister has indicated she would like to have a summit on this issue in November.

"I hope that there is a good national discussion about a national approach in terms of maybe eliminating access to those drugs but how to deal with it on a go-forward basis," he says.

Meanwhile, provincial health ministers are met in Toronto Monday, leading up to Tuesday's meeting with Philpott.