Now, the future of pharmacare in Canada hangs in the balance. In recent comments confirming that Ottawa is not negotiating with the provinces for new health accords at this time, Health Minister Marjorie Michel stated that “…This remarkable statement comes on the heels of the federal government’s recent negotiations with Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Manitoba and Yukon. Programs in B.C. and Yukon will start in the new year. Some provinces have been vocal in opposition to the model of funding.
Minister Michel further assured that the federal government will not step on provincial autonomy. With provincial premiers in control of delivering health care in their jurisdictions, they’ll have to decide based on their interests. Three provinces—British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick—have expressed interest in signing on to the federal pharmacare coverage. On the one hand, they are encouraged by the overall zero-emission vehicle funding.
“Nobody can be against pharmacare, we are in a very special context right now,” Michel stated. She assured participants that the federal government is committed to measuring the outcomes of existing MOUs. Indeed, they won’t even begin any new negotiations until that reassessment is finalized.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has agreed to test the validity and cost drivers of any existing pharmacare agreements before negotiating new ones. The Liberal government had committed to honour the deals made by the last government. This leaves room for misinterpretation about the intended direction of pharmacare policy.
Michel pointed out that legislation establishing a universal pharmacare program was adopted last year, as part of Justin Trudeau’s supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP. It’s time to provide real relief. Manitoba and P.E.I. residents continue to experience harmful effects. Rather than comply, insurance providers have chosen to drop any coverage of the federally-approved drugs covered in these programs. Though these challenges continue to remain, the funding agreements have helped tens of thousands of constituents afford to fill the prescriptions that they need.
Saskatchewan has promised to “engage constructively” with the federal government on future negotiations for a universal national pharmacare. And just last week, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt criticized the federal government’s punitive approach. She was running to have contraceptives paid for at that time.
Michel is looking to re-introduce Bill C-72. This bill would help to inject much-needed standardization into how health care data is collected and shared. She says once this legislation passes, health professionals will no longer be bogged down by pointless administrative tasks. To that end, it will increase national productivity.
“Everything is still on the table, and we are tracking those [agreements] that have already been done to see how it works,” Michel remarked. At heart, she hopes to make health care issues less politicized. This new approach will prompt valuable collaboration between their federal and provincial colleagues of all political stripes.
Dru Oja Jay, the Council of Canadians’ executive director, savaged the current government’s record. He claimed they have “not mandate” to remove coverage from patients who are dealing with health challenges, including the impacts of high medication prices.
