QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Cost of Pharmacare Plan
February 28, 2024
My question is for Senator Gold. Last week, Senator Gold, the Liberal government and the NDP jointly announced the new pharmacare program, but details are scanty, as we say in Newfoundland. Can you tell us when the new program will be implemented? Also, will it be a stand-alone program or will it be integrated with other health care programs?
Thank you for your question. It’s my understanding that the bill that will implement this first phase of pharmacare will be introduced shortly in Parliament. Until that point, the details are not public, and I’m not in a position to comment on it.
This is a program that is a first step towards assisting those families across this country who don’t have the advantages that we and many others have to access to more affordable medications.
My supplementary question is on money, of course. The government’s fiscal projections haven’t been reliable in the past and are constantly being revised. The increasing cost of servicing the government debt is a good example. Every time we get a new fiscal projection, the number has gone up.
I expect the cost of this program will be significant. Are you able to tell us the cost of the program? More importantly for me, I would like to know: Is the cost of this new pharmacare program included in the fiscal projections that were provided in the fiscal update in November and December?
Thank you for the question. I don’t know the answer to the last question because the final discussions and details of the program have been negotiated only within the last weeks, as you know. It will become clearer once we see the program itself and the magnitude of the investments that are being contemplated.
