Liz Hanson, the leader of the Yukon's NDP official Opposition, is calling on Premier Darrell Pasloski to clarify his apparent endorsement of the Harper/Flaherty health financing plan and stand up for Canada's public health care system.

"The Harper/Flaherty plan will have huge implications for our public healthcare system,” Hanson said Wednesday.

"Tying health spending to economic growth while economists are predicting tough times ahead will see our health care system wither and open the door to privatization.”

Last week, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced a plan to continue enriching health transfer payments at six per cent annually for the next six years before typing the transfer dollars to the rate of economic growth and inflation.

Flaherty promised the increases will never fall below three per cent.

According to the most recent budget, the territory recieved $28.6 million last year through the Canada Health Transfer.

The Harper government has also signalled, under the guise of provincial/territorial "autonomy,” that it wants to move away from national standards, Hanson said.

Six finance ministers immediately denounced the new health financing plan for its content and the unilateral way it was developed and delivered.

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said, "What we just witnessed was an unprecedented change in how we are going to deal with the fiscal arrangements in the federation.”

Michael Miltenberger, the Northwest Territories' Finance Minister, called the plan a "hand grenade that was tossed on the table”.

Unlike the other leaders, Health and Social Services Minster Doug Graham echoed Premier Darrell Pasloski's comments earlier this week by calling the decision "an opening offer”.

"Our premier either doesn't get the seriousness of the Harper/Flaherty plan or he supports it,” said Hanson.

"Yukoners expect their government to stand up for our public health care system. Our neighbours in the Northwest Territories, and in other jurisdictions across the country, are questioning the plan.

"We expect our premier to look seriously at the plan once all the details are on the table and not commit to measures that will weaken Yukon's health care system.”