Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged provinces and territories to begin negotiations on pharma deals as soon as possible after federal legislation to launch the program became law. “This is real progress, but now we need provinces and territories to come to the table and sign deals with us to support Canadians and ease their household budgets as quickly as possible,” Trudeau said at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The bill was a key part of the political agreement between the Liberals and NDP, who pushed hard for its passage. The Senate passed the bill without changes on Thursday, and it received Royal Assent shortly after.
In the short term, the legislation would allow the federal government to enter into agreements with provinces and territories to cover drugs like diabetes drugs and birth control under the public health system. Trudeau stressed that the program will help those who have difficulty paying for prescription drugs, adding: “We not only believe in a woman’s right to choose, we act on it.”

The federal health minister said he hopes all provinces will join the program by next spring, with British Columbia already signing a memorandum of understanding. The legislation also calls for an expert commission to be set up within the next month to develop next steps in implementing the pharmacare program.

Anastasia Chupina