(Ottawa) House of Commons Leader Karina Gould warned Tuesday that the Liberals are unlikely to pass a pharmacare bill by the end of the year, even if they promised to do so as part of their deal with the New Democratic Party (NDP).
Published yesterday at 9:59 p.m.
“I don’t think we’ll pass it by the end of this year, but we’ll definitely keep working,” Gould said during a press scrum in the corridors of Parliament.
The two parties are still fine-tuning the details of a bill and are having “productive” discussions, she added. “I am convinced that we will do it. »
In the support and confidence agreement reached between the two parties last year, the NDP agreed to support the minority Liberal government on key votes in the House of Commons in return for prioritizing some of its priority issues.
One of the commitments the Liberals made to win New Democrats’ support was to pass a federal drug coverage law before the end of 2023.
Before going into question period, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated that the government was ready to introduce a bill, but that it first wanted to make sure it was in line with the NDP.
“We are willing to talk to them to make sure it is as ambitious as possible in the right way,” he said.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland last week delivered an economic statement introducing new protections for federal deficit levels in coming years, leaving little room for new spending as soon as possible until 2027.
Asked whether the federal government could still afford a universal pharmacare program, Mr. Trudeau said the Liberals had already taken steps to lower drug prices in the country.
“We will continue to work responsibly […] to ensure Canadians can afford to stay healthy,” he said.
For his part, NDP House leader Peter Julian noted that the New Democrats are still hoping a pharmacare bill can be introduced before the House adjourns in mid-December, even if it is not passed before the holidays.
“But the reality is that the government needs more time,” he admitted, still describing the talks with the Liberals as “constructive.”