‘Fill-the-gaps’ programs can’t replace Liberal promise of pharmacare, advocates say

As pressure builds on the Liberals to implement pharmacare, questions are being raised about whether Ottawa’s model will materialize as a truly universal, single-payer program.

As political pressure builds on the federal Liberals’ pledge to usher in Canada’s first ever national drug coverage program, questions are being raised about implementation delays and whether Ottawa’s vision for pharmacare will indeed materialize as a universal, single-payer program.

Last week, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters he wants to see a national framework for pharmacare passed into federal law before the end of 2023.

If this doesn’t happen, Singh threatened to withdraw from his party’s confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals, which has been keeping the minority government in power.

“It is a deal-breaker,” Singh said Jan. 19.

“This is the framework necessary to move forward with universal public pharmacare. And that’s something we fought for in the agreement we negotiated, and we expect it to be there.”

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said his government remains committed to “taking significant steps towards tabling a Canada Pharmacare Act in 2023,” according to a statement from his office sent to Global News.

But the minister was not as definitive when asked for details about exactly what the Liberal government envisions when it talks about plans to implement a national pharmacare program.

“Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health-care system, and we are always working to strengthen it. Part of that work is making sure that no Canadian has to choose between the prescription drugs they need and putting food on the table,” Duclos’ office said in its statement.