Time running out on pharmacare legislation with only one month of scheduled days remaining in Parliament
The federal government is running out of time to introduce and pass a key piece of legislation in the Liberal-NDP deal.
In March 2022 the Liberals and federal New Democrats signed a supply and confidence agreement to keep the government in power until 2025. That deal included a list of actions the government would prioritize in exchange for the NDP's support on confidence matters.
The second priority listed in that document was to pass a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023. The House of Commons is scheduled to rise in one month's time on Dec. 15, with the Senate scheduled to rise one week after that.
Health Minister Mark Holland acknowledged the tight timeline Wednesday, but said he still believes it is doable after many "positive" conversations.
"I do absolutely think it is possible to introduce legislation. Whether or not we can get it through all stages is another question," he said from Winnipeg. "I think the key is to be able to have the conversations we have had manifest into something we can show Canadians."
Canadians currently pay for their prescription drugs through a mix of public plans, private insurance and out-of-pocket spending. A report commissioned for the government in 2019 estimated that Canadians currently rely on a "confusing patchwork" of more than 100 public prescription drug plans and more than 100,000 private plans.
Speaking in Toronto Wednesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he's made it clear they want to see pharmacare for all Canadians, but he would not say whether New Democrats would exit their deal with the Liberals if that legislation isn't brought forward by year's end.
"We are still in negotiations. We are fighting hard," he said. "Right now the sticking point is the Liberals want to bring in legislation that appeases the big pharmaceutical industry. We don't care about them. We don't want to appease them. We want to ensure that Canadians can afford their medication."
Prescription drugs are seen on shelves at a pharmacy in Montreal, Thursday, March 11, 2021.(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz)
The Liberals presented a first draft of the bill to New Democrats earlier this fall but it was rejected. At the time, party members said it did not meet their expectations. Singh said Wednesday the NDP made it "very clear" the draft bill was "insufficient” for their support.
"The government is taking that back and working on some amendments, so we will monitor very closely the situation. We are pushing very hard," Singh said.
It does not appear a second draft has been presented to the New Democrats yet.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said that many Canadians will end up with worse coverage from a government plan than what they get now from employers. He has also raised concerns that a national pharmacare program will result in higher taxes.
In an October report, the parliamentary budget officer estimated a single-payer universal drug plan would cost provincial and federal governments an additional $11.2 billion in 2024-2025, rising to $13.4 billion in 2027-2028. The report found that the plan would likely result in an estimated $1.4 billion in savings on drug expenditures in 2024-2025, rising to $2.2 billion in savings in 2027-2028.
"Our report is based on a national application of the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) drug formulary, with universal access and a standardized copayment scheme implemented by a single payer," wrote parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux.
The officer’s October report follows up on a costing estimate for a pharmacare plan published in 2017.
The Liberals did not incIude pharmacare in their most recent budget and it's unclear whether any money will be included in the upcoming fall economic update.
The CEO of the Canada Health Council believes the government should continuing negotiations, but warned "we can't wait forever."
"We have confidence there is going to be some agreement, but let's not rush to failure," said Steven Staples, the national director of policy and advocacy at the Canadian Health Coalition. "Let's take the time and make sure we get a good deal, a good arrangement for pharmacare now so that we can move forward into the future. If we make mistakes by trying to rush it, it will be much more difficult to make changes in the future."
This looming deadline comes as a new survey from Abacus Data shows the Liberals down in the polls and support for the NDP remains relatively static.
The results, based on a national survey of 2,000 adults conducted from Nov. 9 to 12, show that if an election were held on Nov. 15, 41 per cent of committed voters would vote for the Conservatives, 28 per cent for the Bloc, 25 per cent for the Liberals, 19 per cent for the NDP, and three per cent for the Greens. The survey also showed that the Conservatives are now leading in every region of the country except for Quebec.
"We'd likely see a large conservative majority we put out some see projections earlier in the week that showed the Conservatives would win over 200 seats, the liberals could be down to under 70," said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto.
The Conservative lead is the largest recorded since Abacus started collecting data. Coletto said his numbers show the Conservatives pulling votes from all parties, including disaffected Liberals and New Democrats.
"The Liberals at the worst they've ever been and the NDP are no better than they've been over the last three or four years," Coletto said.
With files from the Canadian Press
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
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Police: 3 killed, including suspected gunman, in Minneapolis shooting
Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead after a shooting Thursday at a Minneapolis apartment complex, police said.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."
Local Spotlight
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Edward Island celebrates first-ever International Day of Potato
Prince Edward Island is celebrating its first-ever International Day of Potato on Thursday.
'Bigger and better and stronger than ever': Covered Bridge Chips president sets sights for late 2025 rebuild after fire
The president of Covered Bridge Chips in New Brunswick is hoping to have his factory rebuilt for late 2025 following a devastating fire last year.
Winnipeg high school helps lead ducks that nested in courtyard to water
Students and staff at Winnipeg’s Westwood Collegiate had a unique problem to solve this month; how do you lead ducks to water from the school’s courtyard when 12 of them can’t fly yet?
Questions and concerns remain after space junk lands in Saskatchewan
Debby Lorinczy remembers her father as an amazing person and as a man who also made an amazing discovery.
Ski jumper Abigail Strate getting a buzz out of working with bees
Abigail Strate is a member of the Canadian national ski jumping team and an Olympic bronze medallist. She's also a certified beekeeper.
Oilers superfan hopeful Edmonton wins so he can get his massive Stanley Cup tattoo retouched
It's been a long time coming, but one Oilers superfan is hoping this will be the year he gets to touch up his massive Stanley Cup back tattoo.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
'Forgot how fun this was': Winnipeg man competing in World Pinball Championship
A Winnipeg pinball wizard is heading to the granddaddy of them all – the IFPA World Pinball Championship.