Health Minister Mark Holland is calling on the federal NDP to give the Liberal government more time in power to sign bilateral deals on pharmacare.
鈥淚 would put it back to (NDP Leader) Jagmeet Singh 鈥� why are you in such a rush for an election? If pharmacare is the priority that you say it is, then why don鈥檛 you wait until October so that we can get the business of the nation done?鈥� Holland told a news conference in Halifax, where he met with his provincial and territorial counterparts this week.
Pharmacare and the national dental-care program were key parts of the supply-and-confidence deal that saw the NDP keep the minority Liberals in power for more than two years.
The New Democrats pushed particularly hard for the pharmacare legislation to be passed, something Holland said was 鈥渋ncredibly difficult鈥� to do. The bill was introduced last February and became law in October after months of debate in the House of Commons and the Senate.
Earlier on Thursday, Singh reiterated that New Democrats will vote to bring down the minority Liberal government.
鈥淚 want to be really clear. We are still going to be voting against the government at the end of March,鈥� Singh said at a press conference in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., where he called on the government to bring Parliament back to pass emergency measures to alleviate the impact of U.S. tariffs.
Parliament is set to resume on March 24, after the Liberals select their next leader on March 9.
The fixed-election date is in October but opposition parties have pledged to vote non-confidence in the Liberals before then, putting Canadians on a likely path to a spring election.
Holland has been working to sign bilateral deals with provinces and territories that would see the federal government cover the cost of birth control and diabetes medications.
He said he expects more deals to be signed 鈥渧ery, very soon鈥� but warned the process takes time. Bilateral deals, he said, 鈥渁re done through finding common ground, are done through respecting provincial jurisdiction, and they鈥檙e done through working through the complicated issues of actually making a deal work.鈥�
In a statement issued in response to Holland, NDP health critic Peter Julian accused the Liberals of being cynical.
鈥淭his is another Liberal ploy to buy time at the expense of Canadians. They are willing to withhold birth control and insulin to buy more time for their new leader,鈥� Julian said.
B.C. has signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal government, but not a final agreement.
Manitoba already covers the cost of contraceptives and New Brunswick has promised to do the same. Coverage of diabetes medications remains a patchwork across the country.
Eric Hoskins, the former Ontario health minister who chaired a national advisory council on pharmacare, said there is 鈥渁 very small window of time鈥� for the provinces to get deals signed. He called the deals 鈥渁 gift from Ottawa.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 really no downside (for the provinces and territories). There鈥檚 massive upside in terms of access to medicines for their citizens,鈥� he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said he rejects the government鈥檚 鈥渞adical plan鈥� for pharmacare and the NDP and Liberals are warning he would kill the program if elected.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unlikely the Conservatives would continue to pursue this, and so, in absence of a federal partner who鈥檚 willing to negotiate contracts with provinces and territories?鈥� Hoskins said. 鈥淚f that doesn鈥檛 exist, the funds won鈥檛 flow.鈥�
