NDP tells Liberals to sweeten the deal if pharmacare legislation is delayed

New Democrats say that if the Liberal government can't honour its vow to pass pharmacare legislation by the end of this year, it will have to enhance the legislation to deliver "more results."

A statement from NDP director of communications Alana Cahill suggested the party is willing to give the government more time if the Liberals give it a good reason to wait.

"If more time is required, we expect more results for Canadians," Cahill said.

It's not clear from the statement and follow-up questions to the NDP what the party means by "more results." Cahill's statement came after the the Globe and Mail cited a source saying the NDP is open to waiving an end-of-year deadline for pharmacare legislation.

The Liberal minority government relies on New Democrats' votes to pass legislation through a formal confidence-and-supply agreement both parties signed. Under that agreement, the NDP agrees to support essential government legislation in exchange for the Liberals advancing several NDP policy priorities.

According to the wording of that agreement, one of those NDP priorities is to pass "a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023 and then [task] the National Drug Agency to develop a national formulary of essential medicines and bulk purchasing plan by the end of the agreement."

Cahill's statement says that if the Liberals can't come to the table with a better offer, the NDP still expects the Liberals to introduce pharmacare legislation.

"Negotiations are still ongoing, and our talks remain constructive," Cahill said. "We believe there is enough time left for the government to honour its commitment in the supply and confidence agreement."

A source within the NDP said the party realizes it may take more time to pass the legislation through the Senate. The government does not control the agenda in the Red Chamber.

Canadians wouldn't necessarily see a fully funded national pharmacare program following passage of a pharmacare bill. Setting up the system might take several years.

The Liberals have faced pressure within the party to deliver on pharmacare. In 2019, an advisory council appointed by the Liberal government recommended establishing a universal, single-payer public pharmacare system — first with an initial list of common and essential drugs and then with a comprehensive formulary. The advisory council estimated such a system would cost $15 billion a year once fully implemented.

The council also said that, once implemented, the pharmacare program would cut the sum Canadians spend prescription drugs by roughly $5 billion a year.

It proposed a $2 co-payment for common drugs and $5 for less common ones. Fees would be waived for those on low incomes or social assistance.

In a recent report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that a single-payer universal drug plan would cost federal and provincial governments $11.2 billion in the first year and $13.4 billion annually in five years.