NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says a national pharmacare program could be in place in one year.
Singh made the pledge to a group of party faithful at a town hall in Halifax yesterday.
The federal party leader took questions around abortion rights, the high cost of tuition, creating green jobs, affordable childcare and how to woo back voters to the NDP after the Liberals swept every seat in Atlantic Canada in the last election.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh greeted by a crowd of supporters at @NSCCNews Leeds campus pic.twitter.com/pPcesP3KHQ
— Ed Halverson (@edwardhalverson) September 23, 2019
But Singh devoted most of his time to outline his party’s newly released pharmacare plan.
Health care is a provincial responsibility, meaning premiers would have to sign off on any deal to provide prescriptions.
Singh says the money is already available.
“Every province has a budget. They buy medication. They’re actually buying medication in bulk for hospitals because they’re covered. When you go to a hospital, medication is covered.”
The NDP Leader admits getting the deal done will be hard work, but he says the numbers make it hard for any province to turn down.
“You don’t put any more money [in], exactly what you’re already spending. Instead of covering some people, you can cover everyone. I can’t imagine any premier who could possibly say no to that.”
Singh noted Canada is the only country in the world with universal medical care that doesn’t also have universal pharmacare.
NDP Candidate for South Shore -St. Margaret’s Jessika Hepburn says providing all Canadians with pharmacare will take political will.
“If you’re given an option to take care of the people in your community, it’s not going to even cost you more money, you’re not going to say no to that. And if you are, you should give up your seat.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh with candidate for South Shore St.Margaret’s Jessika Hepburn
Hepburn says money can always be found for corporate payouts and it’s time to ensure society’s most vulnerable members are taken care of.
“We don’t ever say, how are we going to do that payout to oil and gas companies? How are we going to do that payout to our big buddies in business? But we do, we always have the money.”
The Liberals also announced their pharmacare plan yesterday.
Incumbent Bernadette Jordan says her government was already making steps towards a national program.
“So we’ve been working for the past four years towards a national pharmacare program. We had the advisory council on national pharmacare who developed a report that we are following and that’s what we are using as our guide.”
Jordan says the process is underway, but it takes time.
“The NDP can promise all they want, but the reality is, is this is something that takes careful planning. It takes working with provinces and stakeholders. It’s not just enough to do it fast, it’s got to be done right and that’s what we’re committed to doing.”
Jordan says a national pharmacare program will mean vulnerable Canadians will no longer have to choose between filling their prescriptions or heating their home.
Reported by: Ed Halverson
Twitter: @edwardhalverson
E-mail: halverson.ed@radioabl.ca
