Conservatives promise to spend $1.5B to buy new medical imaging equipment

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheerpromised Fridayto spend $1.5 billion to buy new medical imaging equipment for facilities across Canada should his party win next month's federal election.

Scheer saida Conservative government would buy MRI and CT machines to replace aging ones, and that the move would reduce wait times.

He citeda Conference Board of Canada report that found there are excessive wait times for those screening tests, costing the economy billions of dollars.

Scheer saidthat with Canada's aging population, the demand for such exams will only increase.

The Conservatives say the investment would give provinces more spending flexibility, with the federal government footing the bill for replacing out-of-date medical imaging equipment.

Scheer also highlightedhis promise to maintain and increase the Canada Health Transfer, which provides long-term health-care funding to the provinces and territories.