‘I’m a former politician myself and I know that things often sort of happen by coincidence on the same day as you plan an announcement’
Dr. Eric Hoskins, head of a Liberal advisory council on pharmacare, denied he was being used as a human shield Wednesday to deflect attention away from the SNC-Lavalin affair when he released an interim report Wednesday a mere eight pages long.
“Quite some time ago, a number of weeks ago, if not more than a month, we set out a path would arrive here on this day,” Hoskins told reporters. “I’m a former politician myself and I know that things often sort of happen by coincidence on the same day as you plan an announcement,” he said. The slim report makes three recommendations Hoskins described as “foundational” to pharmacare: a new national drug agency, a national formulary, or list of prescribed drugs that should be available to every Canadian and an investment in a robust drug data and IT system capable of tracking prescriptions from the doctor’s office to the pharmacy.
Hoskins’ committee is to publish its final report in the spring, but it is unclear whether it will arrive before the budget, expected to land March 19. Petitpas-Taylor said more than one million Canadians have to make the “wrenching” decision between paying for prescription drugs and heating their homes or putting food on the table.
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