Clock ticks on Liberal-NDP deal as budget omits pharmacare bill promised in 2023
Jagmeet Singh took a victory lap at his New Democrat caucus meeting on Wednesday in a speech that praised his party's wins in the recent federal budget.
But noticeably absent from the NDP leader's speech, and from the 2023-24 spending plan, was any mention of one of his party's biggest priorities: pharmacare.
The confidence-and-supply agreement requires the government to table legislation on a pharmacare framework by the end of the calendar year in exchange for the NDP's support on key votes in the House of Commons.
Both parties say that is still on track to happen, though even if a bill is introduced by December, it is unclear when a program could be operational -- and when Canadians could begin to save money when filling out their prescriptions.
Asked Wednesday about why the budget contained several other NDP priorities but not pharmacare, Singh said: "What we were able to force the government to do is what we could negotiate."
The NDP still claimed a win after the government announced Tuesday that it would pump billions of dollars into a new dental-care program and committed to introducing anti-scab legislation by the end of the year.
But while political experts and Conservatives are calling it an NDP-inspired budget, New Democrats say if that was truly the case, money for pharmacare would've been part of it.
"The Liberals don't seem to be as committed," Singh said Wednesday, adding that when the deal was originally struck, the NDP had difficulty pushing the Liberals to commit to anything beyond introducing a legislative framework.
Pharmacare remains one of the only wedge issues that continues to divide the two parties, said David Tabachnick, a professor of political science at Nipissing University.
"The NDP and the Liberals have become one in everything but name. I don't know what colour red and orange make, but that's kind of where we're getting at."
The Liberals, in their 2019 election platform, campaigned on a promise to implement national universal pharmacare. Similar commitments have appeared in throne speeches and mandate letters to the federal health minister.
An expert panel appointed by the Liberals recommended in 2019 that a universal, single-payer public pharmacare system should be created in Canada to replace the current patchwork of prescription drug plans.
The panel, which was led by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins, reported that such a plan would save Canadians an estimated $5 billion every year.
"It's really fallen off the table, in part because of the pandemic, and because they increased spending so much," said Lydia Miljan, a political science professor at the University of Windsor.
She noted that the government is anticipating a $40-billion deficit for the coming fiscal year.
"They don't have the money, and ... they'd have to negotiate with the provinces, much like child care. These are not one-off funding requests. It's structural and would commit future governments to it, which is a difficult sell to the provinces."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has continued to skirt around the topic, saying on Wednesday that his government will work to bring down drug prices for Canadians while liaising with other jurisdictions.
Experts say that a year into the Liberal-NDP deal, which was originally slated to extend to 2025, it looks like pharmacare has become the carrot that Liberals dangle in front of New Democrats to keep their support.
They question whether Liberals will actually pass legislation, even if they introduce it.
"I think everyone sees the writing on the wall with this one," said Miljan.
At the end of the day, the Liberal government isn't going to give the NDP everything it wants, said David McGrane, political studies professor at the University of Saskatchewan -- because, he said, the government doesn't want to give the impression that it's being controlled.
"The Liberals have been going very slowly with pharmacare," McGrane said. "They're doing as little as possible, but enough to fulfill the deal."
Plus, he pointed out, the Liberals may want to keep the prospective policy in their back pocket to use in future election campaigns.
While pharmacare might not be the "centrepiece" of the next Liberal campaign, he said, "Why not run another election and say, 'We'll make progress on pharmacare'?
"If you get the pharmacare deal done, you can't run on it in the next election."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.
Local Spotlight
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.