OTTAWA 鈥� The federal NDP鈥檚 promise to deliver a national universal pharmacare plan by 2020 is 鈥渘ot realistic,鈥� according to Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who couldn鈥檛 say what year the Liberals would propose to deliver the program.
On Wednesday, the panel studying the prospect of a national pharmacare plan issued its final report. It said that provincial governments need to work with the federal government to sew together what is currently a patchwork of prescription drug plans to make a national system.
The report said that covering the costs of prescription medicine could save each family $350 a year annually, though by 2027 the cost to run the program could reach $15 billion.
The Liberals have said they accept the report and will work towards following through on a universal pharmacare system that all Canadians have access to, though the NDP were quick to call on the plan to be implemented 鈥渋mmediately.鈥�
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has promised that if his party, currently in third place, was to form government in 2019 it would bring in a comprehensive universal national pharmacare plan beginning in 2020, saying the billions of dollars it would cost would be worth it.
鈥淲e need implementation now. Canadians have waited decades, the case is overwhelming, and people are getting sick and are dying because they can鈥檛 access medicine,鈥� said NDP health critic Don Davies in a statement this week.
鈥淲hen I hear the NDP saying in the House of Commons that are going to make sure that a pharmacare program will be put in place by 2020, it's not realistic,鈥� Petitpas Taylor said in an interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period.
Though, the minister couldn鈥檛 say what year the Liberals are looking at to propose beginning the plan.
The panel recommended that a new drug agency be responsible for developing the initial essential list of prescription drugs by Jan. 1, 2022, expanding to a "fully comprehensive鈥� list by Jan. 1, 2027.
鈥淲e've been working towards this goal for the past three years,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have to establish contracts and negotiations with provinces and territories. And just like the medicare system鈥� it took 10 years to put in place the medicare act to make sure that all provinces and territories were going to sign on,鈥� she said.
Petitpas Taylor was asked how big a percentage of the cost of a pharmacare plan the federal government would offer to cover, and she said that while they will have to put 鈥渟ome money on the table,鈥� it鈥檚 premature to say just how much.
When asked whether the Liberals鈥� proposed plan would be fully universal, or income-tested the way the Canada Child Benefit is鈥攎eaning the benefit for each Canadian varies based on their means鈥攖he minister said that cabinet still has to discuss the report鈥檚 findings and that both she, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have committed to 鈥渕aking sure that all Canadians have access to a universal pharmacare program.鈥�
In a separate interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period, NDP MP Nathan Cullen denied that the Liberals鈥� plan to promise pharmacare has taken the wind out of the New Democrats鈥� sails, saying that they can promise it, but there is a 鈥渃redibility gap鈥� when it comes to Liberal platforms.
鈥淭he Liberals promised a lot in the last election, progressive promises that they didn鈥檛 follow through on,鈥� said Cullen. And he noted that their current record of trying to implement a national plan with carbon taxes has 鈥渂lown up in their face.鈥�
鈥淪o can Trudeau credibly say 鈥業 can bring the premiers on board right now鈥� when he is in a fight with the majority of them?鈥� Cullen said, adding that he still thinks it鈥檚 a policy that the NDP should focus on.
With files from The Canadian Press
