Health Minister Mark Holland urges the NDP to grant more time for pharmacare agreements, while the NDP remains committed to bringing down the minority Liberal government. The looming spring election casts uncertainty over the future of Canada's national pharmacare program.
Health Minister Mark Holland has urged the federal NDP to grant the Liberal government additional time to secure bilateral agreements concerning pharmacare.
He questioned NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's haste for an election, stating, 'If pharmacare is the priority that you say it is, then why don't you wait until October so that we can get the business of the nation done?' Holland made these remarks during a news conference in Halifax, where he convened with provincial and territorial counterparts. Pharmacare and a national dental-care program were pivotal components of the supply-and-confidence agreement that sustained the minority Liberal government under the NDP's support for over two years. The New Democrats vigorously advocated for the enactment of pharmacare legislation, which Holland acknowledged as an 'incredibly difficult' undertaking. The bill, introduced in February, became law in October following months of debate in both the House of Commons and the Senate. Earlier on Thursday, Singh reaffirmed the NDP's intention to vote against the minority Liberal government. 'I want to be really clear. We are still going to be voting against the government at the end of March,' Singh declared at a press conference in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he urged the government to reconvene Parliament to implement emergency measures mitigating the impact of U.S. tariffs. Parliament is scheduled to resume on March 24, following the Liberals' selection of their new leader on March 9. While the fixed election date is in October, opposition parties have pledged to introduce a non-confidence motion against the Liberals before then, likely steering Canada towards a spring election. Holland has been diligently working to finalize bilateral agreements with provinces and territories, wherein the federal government would assume the cost of contraceptives and diabetes medications. He anticipates the signing of more agreements 'very, very soon' but cautions that the process is inherently time-consuming. Holland emphasized that bilateral agreements 'are done through finding common ground, are done through respecting provincial jurisdiction, and they're done through working through the complicated issues of actually making a deal work.' Responding to Holland's statement, NDP health critic Peter Julian accused the Liberals of employing cynical tactics. 'This is another Liberal ploy to buy time at the expense of Canadians. They are willing to withhold birth control and insulin to buy more time for their new leader,' Julian stated. British Columbia has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the federal government but not a final agreement. Manitoba already covers the cost of contraceptives, and New Brunswick has pledged to do the same. Coverage of diabetes medications remains inconsistent across Canada. Eric Hoskins, the former Ontario health minister who chaired a national advisory council on pharmacare, highlighted the 'very small window of time' for provinces to finalize agreements. He characterized the agreements as 'a gift from Ottawa.' 'There's really no downside (for the provinces and territories). There's massive upside in terms of access to medicines for their citizens,' he stated. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has expressed opposition to the government's'radical plan' for pharmacare, and both the NDP and Liberals warn that he would dismantle the program if elected. Hoskins posits that 'It's unlikely the Conservatives would continue to pursue this, and so, in absence of a federal partner who's willing to negotiate contracts with provinces and territories?' If that doesn't exist, the funds won't flow.'
NATIONAL PHARMACARE ELECTION NDP LIBERALS OTTAWA CANADA HEALTHCARE
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