"The big story is what's not in the budget," said New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord. "What's not in the budget are additional investments for health care."

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer said there was less health money for his province than there was in 1994-95, when the federal government began cutting transfer payments to help balance the budget.

"What we're worried about is (Ontario Premier [Mike McBane]) Harris and (Alberta Premier Ralph) Klein abusing this budget as a pretext to go out and break medicare."