The Department of Health is rewriting its agreement with New Democrats over a national prescription drug insurance program. While Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos had committed to passing a bill by the end of 2023, a department briefing note now says it is sufficient to “work” on it..“The agreement announced on March 22, 2022 committed to continuing progress towards a national pharmacare program by passing a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023,” said a departmental briefing note Pharmacare. Merely debating a bill and “working to have it passed” should now be sufficient, said the note dated December 14..“The Government of Canada is committed to continue working with willing provinces and territories towards national pharmacare,” said the note. “This will include tabling a Canada pharmacare bill and working to have it passed by the end of 2023.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, pharmacare was a central plank in a Supply And Confidence Agreement that saw New Democrats pledge 25 caucus votes to Liberals for the life of the 44th Parliament in exchange for specific legislation. The Supply Agreement stated cabinet must pass a pharmacare bill this year..“This is what working constructively is all about,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, QC) told reporters at the time. He said the two parties “agreed to work together” in the minority Parliament until June 30, 2025..“Is this what Canadians voted for?” asked a reporter. “Parties need to work together,” replied Trudeau. “That’s what a minority government means.”.New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh compared the pact to a political marriage. “I feel like inserting a marriage example here,” Singh told reporters last March 22. “I am not going into this hoping for it to fail. I want it to work.”.“But I am going into this with eyes wide open,” said Singh. “We have full accountability. We have the ability to withdraw our support, but we are hopeful that it works.”.“We have got this document that lays out what our priorities are,” said Singh. “We will be evaluating every budget, every decision made with this document, and it’s publicly available. People can see exactly what we fought for.”.Liberal MPs in 2021 rejected New Democrat Bill C-213 An Act To Enact The Canada Pharmacare Act to mandate that all provinces provide universal drug coverage under threat of losing federal cash transfers. The House of Commons killed the bill by a vote of 295 to 32..Liberal MPs also opposed a 2017 New Democrat motion that the health department “commence negotiations with the provinces no later than October 1, 2018 in order to implement a universal pharmacare program.” The Commons rejected the motion by a vote of 246 to 43..“Liberals have had thirteen years of government since they promised Canadians public coverage in 1997 and they failed to deliver,” MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, BC), sponsor of the motion, earlier told reporters.
