NDP rejects first draft the Liberals' pharmacare legislation

Federal New Democrats have rejected the Liberals' first draft of pharmacare legislation.

The Liberals had promised to introduce pharmacare legislation this fall season, but NDP critic Don Davies said the first draft of the bill fell short of NDP expectations.

He said he is looking forward to the next draft.

Davies said the pharmacare program should be universal, single-payer and government-wide.

The NDP will not accept a commitment of less than that.

He said the NDP is willing to expand the program starting with essential drugs.

But they demand that the schedule of expansion should also be included in the law.

Health Minister Mark Holland did not say whether the upcoming bill would commit to a specific model, as the situation could change by the time the bill is introduced.

The government could consider a number of options when drafting the legislation, including the single-payer system suggested by the NDP.

In 2017, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that a pharmacare scheme would cost $19.3 billion per year if implemented in 2015, rising to $22.6 billion annually over time.

As of today, this annual cost can be 23 billion to 27 billion dollars.

Holland did not say when the legislation is expected to be introduced.