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Health Minister Mark Holland says he’s looking forward to working through the details of a national pharmacare plan, a commitment he made after Alberta and Quebec said they want to opt out of the program.
Ahead of those discussions, Holland said at the House of Commons that “there’s some premature reaction at this point.”
Holland told journalists that the government will be tabling legislation on the plan this week.
“That means that there’s an opportunity to talk about what exactly this is,” Holland said.
Last week, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced his party had reached an agreement with the governing Liberals to introduce the first piece of a national pharmacare program.
A March 1 deadline had been set as part of an agreement in which the NDP supports the minority Liberal government in the Commons in exchange for key policy concessions.
The pharmacare program is expected to initially include covering the costs of diabetes and birth control medications.
On Monday, Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said the province wants the ability to opt out of the plan and instead receive a per-capita share of the plan’s funding to enhance its own programs.
LaGrange told a news conference the federal government did not consult Alberta or take into account the potential provincial share of the costs of the pharmacare program’s administration. She said the province already has its own government programs that cover prescription medications.
Quebec has also said it will demand withdrawal with full compensation if the federal government moves forward with its drug insurance project.
Holland said he will be talking to his provincial and territorial counterparts so they can understand the government’s intentions.
Asked if the legislation will be out by Thursday, Holland said if you work backward from that date, “there’s not a lot of geography.”
He added, “We’re going to meet the timeline. Now, in terms of exactly when that will be, you know, we’re going to let you know very soon.”
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Ottawa will shut down shady postsecondary institutions if provinces don’t, Immigration Minister says: Marc Miller says there are problems across the college sector, but some of the “really bad” actors are private institutions – and those schools need to be shut down.
No evidence that data was extracted from RCMP during recent cyberattack, commissioner says: Mike Duheme says he has been briefed on the security breach that targeted the force’s networks, and the latest assessment of personnel who have probed the breach is “good news.”
Conservatives vote for Liberal government bill banning replacement workers: The Official Opposition have voted in favour of a bill that would ban replacement workers from being used during strikes and lockouts at federally regulated workplaces. It’s the Conservatives have taken a public position on the legislation, CBC reports.
Ottawa freezes merger notification threshold, funds housing innovation projects: The announcements were made this morning during Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s weekly economic update alongside other ministers.
Online harms bill puts onus on tech platforms to remove child pornography: The sweeping legislation, introduced in the Commons by Justice Minister Arif Virani, would make online platforms swiftly take down child-sexual-abuse material, as well as content that bullies or sexually victimizes children or induces a child to harm themselves.
Unions call on Ottawa to provide additional compensation as issues with Phoenix pay system persist: Eight years after the system was launched, the number of unresolved problems has piled up to 444,000, and Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says “we’ve never seen this many cases in the backlog.”
Nova Scotia Auditor-General calls RCMP over ‘concealment’ by provincial Liberals of misuse of funds: Kim Adair is asking the Mounties to investigate the provincial Liberal Party over its “apparent concealment” of the misuse of public funds by a former employee.
Head of mayors’ group pushes back on Pierre Poilievre, says Canadian cities are ‘not gatekeepers’: Regardless of who is in power federally, municipalities will need more infrastructure spending to ramp up home construction, said Scott Pearce, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Mayors concerned Justin Trudeau won’t deliver promised long-term infrastructure deal in 2024 budget: Fifteen big-city mayors were in Ottawa this week as representatives of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities met with federal ministers to press their case for more funding.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“If we put forward an act to call the sky blue, they would obstruct it” – Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, arriving for today’s cabinet meeting at the House of Commons, alleging that the opposition Conservatives are obstructive in the government advancing legislation.
“That’s complete garbage” – Immigration Minister Marc Miller, before the cabinet meeting today, on assertions by Ontario Premier Doug Ford that Ontario was surprised by a federal cap on international students.
“The idea is not to chase platforms out of Canada. We want platforms operating in Canada, but we want them operating at a baseline level of safety. I find it troubling that we have got more rules that relate to the Lego in my kid’s basement than we do for the most difficult and dangerous toy that is in every Canadian’s home right now, which is the smartphone with a screen that their children are in front of.” – Justice Minister Arif Virani, arriving for the cabinet meeting, on the goals of Bill C-63, Canada’s new online harms bill.
“Common sense Conservatives will protect our kids and punish criminals instead of creating more bureaucracy and censoring opinions.” – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, in a statement, on his party’s position on measures to “protect children.”
“Mr. Speaker, my dad loved this place. He loved the role. He loved the rush, the responsibility and the privilege to represent. He loved the history, the relationships, the potential and the people.” – Conservative MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman, in the Commons today, paying tribute to her father, Daryl Kramp, an MP for 11 years, who died this month.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland provided an update on the government’s economic plan at a morning news conference, accompanied by Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
Commons committee highlights: Stephanie Cadieux, Canada’s chief accessibility officer, and Karen Hogan, the Auditor-General of Canada, were among the witnesses scheduled to speak to the transport committee on accessible transportation for persons with disabilities. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne appeared before the agriculture committee on efforts to stabilize food prices. RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme appeared before the access-to-information committee on the force’s decision to not pursue a criminal investigation in the SNC-Lavalin affair. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Justice Minister Arif Virani, P.C., David Vigneault – the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service – and RCMP Commissioner Duheme are among the witnesses appearing before the special joint committee on the declaration of an emergency in 2022. Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley, Brent Jolly, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists, and Edward Greenspon, president and chief executive officer of the Public Policy Forum, are among the witnesses appearing before the heritage committee on a national forum on the media. Mona Nemer, Canada’s chief science adviser, briefs the science and research committee.
Senate committee highlights: Witnesses appearing before the Indigenous people’s committee include Canada’s privacy commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, and Caroline Maynard, the information commissioner of Canada. The committee is examining the constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, chaired the weekly cabinet meeting.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, at the House of Commons, held a news conference ahead of Question Period.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended Question Period, and was scheduled to attend an evening fundraising event in the Ontario community of Merricksville.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the House of Commons, and spoke to students from the University of Waterloo environment faculty.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh held a scrum at the House of Commons.
THE DECIBEL
Ivan Semeniuk, The Globe and Mail’s science reporter, is on today’s edition of the podcast to talk about the robotic lander Odysseus, which touched down in the south polar region of the moon last week. The Decibel is here.
OPINION
The prosperity problem: Measure the cost of red tape first, then cut it to fit
“Politicians pledge to cut red tape. Entrepreneurs share stories of becoming entangled in red tape. Task forces and committees and panels (perhaps even blue-ribbon ones?) are formed to study both its redness and its tape-iness. The phrase has become so bandied-about that it has almost become an abstract concept. And yet what it represents could not be more important: Red tape is the web of rules and regulations that business owners must follow.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
The Liberal-NDP pharmacare deal sets the clock ticking on their alliance
“This week will mark the high-water mark for the Liberal-NDP deal, with framework legislation for pharmacare and coverage for a few key drugs, notably for birth control and diabetes. And with that comes the beginning of the end of the Liberal-NDP alliance.” – Campbell Clark
The Trudeau government needs more than words to restore the immigration consensus
“Immigration Minister Marc Miller can recite chapter and verse on what’s not right in our immigration system. Not all the chapters and not every verse, but still: A Trudeau government minister willing to talk about at least some of what isn’t working, in the machine his squad built, is a wonder to behold. But talk is cheap, especially in the comms-first Trudeau government. And Mr. Miller has been on the job for seven months. That’s not quite a lifetime in politics, but it’s getting there.” – Tony Keller
Pierre Poilievre wants big government to protect kids from porn
“Mr. Freedom’s war against the gatekeepers apparently comes with a few stipulations. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is currently railing against this government’s efforts to regulate and police the internet with its new online harms legislation, seems to believe the government should regulate and police the internet – just as long as it’s over an issue that appeals to his base. Fire (select) gatekeepers. Down with big government (sometimes). End (some) state overreach.” – Robyn Urback
Trudeau and Singh manage to buy more time with Liberal-NDP pharmacare deal
“Senior Liberals I’ve spoken to felt Trudeau had a golden opportunity to walk away and show spending restraint. There was no real threat that the next budget wouldn’t pass, the Bloc had more than enough votes and they’re in no hurry for an election. But that would have created a serious perception problem for Trudeau, governing at the beck and call of separatists. Trudeau, by nature, will also avoid leaving others the power to decide. If there’s going to be an earlier election, it’ll be at a time of his choosing. In the end, Trudeau played to type, spending more, buying time (with taxpayers’ money) and flipping the bird to Poilievre’s Conservatives.” – Tom Mulcair, CTV
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Ian Bailey