Summary:

• Creation of universal pharmacare program is a condition of Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence deal
• In 2018, the Liberals appointed Dr. Eric Hoskins, a former Ontario Liberal health minister, to chair an advisory council to assess a national pharmacare plan. The council’s report, released the following year, recommended the establishment of a universal, single-payer public pharmacare systen
• The NDP’s health critic says their bill follows the council’s recommendations and the principles of the Canada Health Act. He said the proposal allows the government to negotiate with provinces and territories on a pharmacare plan, and would allow Ottawa to withhold funding from provinces if they don’t comply with the act.