'No cuts to health-care system,' Health Minister Danielle McCann vows

After sayingshe would only cut "to better organize" the health care system, Quebec's new health minister, Danielle McCann, now says that was a slip of the tongue, and there will be no cuts.

"I know very well that in the system there is a lot of competence. People are ready to give really more efficient services. We have to help them, create the conditions for them to be more efficient," McCann told DebraArbec, host ofCBCNews at 6,in an interviewFriday.

"And I'm not talking about cutting services to patients, I'm cutting to better organize, in many ways, the administration ... to improve the volume of services to patients."

Elsewhere in the same interview, McCann told Arbec, "I want to say also for everybody in the network that we will continue, and increase even, our work in terms of efficiency: no cuts in services to patients, but efficiency."

The minister's office contacted CBCand asked to clarify her comments Monday, tellingCBCNews in a statement, "Iwanted to say, 'I'm going to better organize'" the administration of health-care services, not "cutting to better organize" those services.

"I want to make it very clear: there will be no cuts in the health-care system."

"I firmly think that if we work in collaboration with all good-faithedpeople in the health-care system," including physicians, nurses and users, she said, "we can improve the access for all Quebecers."