(Ottawa) Quebec and Alberta can give up on the idea of obtaining full compensation unconditionally if they decide to withdraw from the national drug insurance plan for which Ottawa laid the foundations on Thursday, and which allows the Liberals to remain in power with the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP).
Published at 11:35 a.m. Updated at 4:44 p.m.
Michel Saba The Canadian Press
Bill C-64 provides that funding is conditional on the signing of bilateral agreements that expand the existing coverage of a public drug insurance plan for prescription drugs and related products intended for contraception or treatment of diabetes.
These agreements must also provide for “first-dollar, single-payer universal coverage.” This means that access is offered equally to all residents and that costs are fully covered by the government, not a private plan.
At a press conference, the Minister of Health, Mark Holland, insisted that these are “not conditions”, but “a common goal” and that he will show “a lot of flexibility” on how to implement it. ‘reach.
Moreover, health should not be the subject of “jurisdictional” debates, he said. He noted in passing that the federal government must ensure compliance with the Canada Health Act.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland
The Quebec government does not see it that way and assures that it will “defend” its areas of jurisdiction provided for by the Constitution.
Like Alberta, it wishes to withdraw from the federal program and obtain full financial compensation in order to invest this amount in its existing drug insurance plan.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, judged that since the Liberals do not allow Quebec to withdraw with the money, they are “breaking a fundamental condition of the agreement” and that the New Democrats should therefore modify the bill or withdraw their support for the government.
However, the deputy leader of the NDP, Alexandre Boulerice, indicated at the beginning of the week that the right of withdrawal has been an element of his party’s program “for a long time” and that it was “part of the discussions” with the Liberal government, but he has never indicated whether a provision to this effect will be included in the bill.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre indicated Thursday that he believes all provinces and territories “should be able to opt out” of the regime.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre
If provinces were to opt out of the national system, it could jeopardize some of the potential savings Canada would expect to achieve from bulk drug purchases, said NDP health critic Don Davies.
“New Zealand estimates it saves 40% on drug costs by having a single bulk purchasing system. So, it was estimated that working towards establishing a much more efficient, robust, national and comprehensive bulk purchasing system would save us billions of dollars,” he noted.
“A historic day”
The drug insurance bill tabled this morning was presented as a first step towards fulfilling the commitment to establish a universal and national drug insurance plan.
Until then, the legislation provides that the government will provide universal, single-payer coverage for a range of contraceptives and diabetes medications through agreements with the provinces.
At a press conference, Mr. Holland estimated that this program will cost approximately 1.5 billion. He insisted that this estimate may change during his discussions with the provinces.
“This is an opportunity to validate the principle to try [de fournir] two drugs on a universal, single-payer model, Mr. Holland said. We will have the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of this model. »
Mr. Davies, who like others spoke of a “historic” day, explained that a national drug insurance program is “a dream” which began with Tommy Douglas, the first leader of his party and the who is recognized as the father of the universal health care system in Canada.
The idea, he summarized, is that Canadians should have access to the medications they need “with their health card and not their credit card”, not to mention that this will allow the country to save “costs”. billion” each year by buying in bulk.
Its leader, Jagmeet Singh, affirmed that this bill did not arrive by magic, but thanks to the fierce battles of his party which “forced the government to do it”.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh
He also fired arrows against the Liberals’ “30 years of broken promises” on the subject, but especially against Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre who, through his past reluctance, tells those who need these medications that they “don’t ‘not worth it’.
On this subject, Mr. Poilievre avoided speaking out for or against the project itself during a press briefing lasting almost 25 minutes where he only answered questions for five minutes.
However, he mentioned that he “will see” what this promise of what he described as a “neo-democratic-liberal government” will “deliver”, beyond “fine words, photo ups and agreements between two incompetent politicians.
The Liberals “promised a major $80 billion program to make housing affordable, and Justin Trudeau doubled the cost of housing,” he said.
The future of drug coverage seemed uncertain in early February, after a months-long impasse between the Liberals and New Democrats over the wording of the bill and the number of drugs that would be covered at first.
The NDP finally announced the conclusion of negotiations late last week, as the negotiated March 1 deadline for tabling a bill approached.
Much of the Liberal reluctance had to do with the costs of the program. A comprehensive drug insurance plan would cost the federal government nearly $40 billion per year once it was fully operational, the parliamentary budget officer estimated.
The bill provides that universal coverage constitutes a fundamental principle that must guide the implementation of a future drug insurance program.
It calls on the minister to establish a committee of experts to make recommendations on how to fund a national, universal, single-payer plan within 30 days of the law receiving royal assent.
In addition to the initial list of drugs, the bill establishes several next steps and deadlines intended to push the government toward a broader drug insurance plan.
These measures include requiring the new Canadian Medicines Agency to develop a list of essential drugs within a year of royal assent, which would indicate which drugs would be covered in the future.
With information from Laura Osman and Émilie Bergeron
2024-02-29 21:55:19
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