(Ottawa) The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Karina Gould, warned Tuesday that the Liberals would probably not succeed in passing a bill on pharmacare by the end of the year, even if they had promised to do so as part of their agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP).
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get it adopted by the end of this year, but we will certainly continue to work,” said Ms.me Gould during a press scrum in the corridors of Parliament.
The two parties are still ironing out the details of a bill and are having “productive” discussions, she added. “I am convinced that we will get there. »
In the support and confidence agreement concluded last year between the two parties, the NDP agreed to support the minority Liberal government in key votes in the Commons, in exchange for priority being given to some of its priority issues.
One of the commitments the Liberals made in order to obtain the support of the New Democrats was to pass a federal law on pharmacare before the end of 2023.
Before going to question period, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated that the government was ready to present a bill, but that it first wanted to make sure it satisfied the NDP.
“We’re ready to talk with them to try to make sure it’s as ambitious as possible, in the right way,” he said.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled an economic statement last week that introduced new safeguards on the size of federal deficits for the coming years, leaving little room for new spending before 2027 as soon as possible.
Asked whether the federal government could still afford a universal pharmacare program, Mr. Trudeau replied that the Liberals had already taken steps to reduce 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 indicated that New Democrats still hope that a bill on pharmacare can be presented before the House adjourns in mid-December. even if it is not adopted before the holiday break.
“But the reality is that the government needs more time,” he admitted, still describing the discussions with the Liberals as “constructive”.