Reporting and Accountability: An Assessment of the 2017 Bilateral Agreements in Canada

In 2017, the Canadian federal government and the provincial/territorial governments signed bilateral agreements that provided targeted federal funding. Our study focuses on the funding for mental health and addiction services and investigates whether the provinces are complying with the two conditions: financial reporting and outcome reporting. We construct report cards and find that while financial accountability is being fulfilled, performance accountability is only partially fulfilled. We make suggestions on how governments can improve the accountability associated with federal healthcare funding in the drafting of future agreements.