ottawa –
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on provinces and territories to begin negotiating pharmacare agreements as soon as possible following the passage of federal legislation establishing the program.
“This is real progress, but now we need the provinces and territories to come to the table to support Canadians and take pressure off household budgets as soon as possible,” Trudeau told reporters Friday as he concluded his trip. We need to sign the agreement.” Attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Laos.
The bill was at the center of a now-defunct political agreement between the Liberal Party and the National Democratic Party, which pushed hard for the bill. On Thursday, NDP health critic Peter Julian pointed out that Canada is the only country with a universal health care system that does not include universal prescription drug coverage.
The bill passed the House of Lords without amendments on Thursday night and received Royal Assent shortly thereafter.
This legislation will influence the creation of future universal pharmacare plans.
In the short term, it would pave the way for the federal government to enter into agreements with states and territories to cover diabetes and contraceptives as part of the public health system.
Trudeau said the program will help people who are struggling to pay for their prescriptions, and that his government “not only (believes) in a woman’s right to choose, but is acting on it.” he said.
The federal health minister said he hoped to cover all states and territories by next spring. B.C. has already signed a memorandum of understanding to provide coverage.
The law also requires the government to convene an expert panel within the next month to explore next steps to establish a full-fledged pharmacare program.
The committee is expected to report its recommendations to the Minister of Health within a year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
