MONTREAL The election of a majority Liberal government in Quebec headed by a brain surgeon with two cabinet hopefuls who also trained as doctors raises hopes of a renewed focus on health care.

Philippe Couillards election as Quebec premier also coincides with the expiration of the 10-year federal Health Accord, which greatly benefited the province when Couillard served as health minister from 2003 to 2008.

Since the Harper government has already gone on record as stating it will not renew the accord, Couillard will likely play a leading role as the provinces press Ottawa for adequate funding on health, observers say. For Couillard, the stakes are high, since he campaigned on improving access to health care, with costly promises to hire 2,000 nurse practitioners and create 50 super clinics across Quebec, open 24/7.

Quebec will join the voices of the other provinces, including Ontario, for a more collaborative approach to health-care reform, said Michael McBane, coordinator for the Canadian Health Coalition in Ottawa.

And I think Mr. Couillard has a good opportunity and a lot of credibility to be raising these issues for co-operation with Ottawa and the need for better planning.

Antonia Maioni, a health-policy expert at McGill University, noted that former Quebec premier Jean Charest played a major role in the Council of the Federation, the group representing the territorial and provincial premiers, in negotiating the health accord. And it was Charest who recruited Couillard to the Quebec Liberal Party.

Well see whether Couillard plays that role as well, as health is one of the top issues on the agenda of the Council of the Federation, Maioni said.

As far as bilateral relations are concerned, Quebec versus Ottawa, he may try and may get a hearing from Ottawa, because the Liberals are a federalist party, because Mr. Couillard is not seen to be someone on the left, but rather someone more to the centre-right.

Indeed, Harper, who phoned Couillard to congratulate him on the Liberal rout of the Parti Qubcois, had appointed him to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, the countrys spy watchdog, in 2010.

The 10-year health accord infused the provinces with $41 billion in extra transfers from Ottawa. The Conservative government has pledged to keep the health transfers rising by six per cent annually until 2017, after which any increases will be tied to the performance of the economy.

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Hopes for a renewed focus on health care