The Liberals and New Democrats vowed strongly to stop the Conservatives from blocking their pharmaceutical legislation in the House of Commons on Monday, even though the two parties have more than enough votes to bypass the opposition.
Both NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Health Minister Mark Holland gave impassioned speeches about women’s freedom and access to contraception.
They accused the Conservatives of trying to deny that access to Canadian women.
Their parties carefully negotiated the bill as part of a political pact to avoid early elections, and together they planned a program that will cover select contraceptive and diabetes medications and supplies.
Conservative health critic Stephen Ellis tabled an amendment to the bill last month that, if passed by Parliament, would effectively nullify the proposed law.
The program will do nothing to address the health care crisis, he argued, and instead offers an inferior drug plan that covers less, costs more and creates massive new bureaucracy.
The amendment is expected to be easily defeated by the government and neo-democratic parliamentarians.
“Will the government support us in stopping the Conservatives from denying nine million Canadians free birth control?” Singh asked Holland during an exchange of questions on Monday:
Holland responded by accusing the Conservatives of standing in the way of women’s basic freedom in Canada.
@theJagmeetSingh tells conservatives to back off as House prepares for first vote on pharmaceutical care. #CDNPoli #Pharmacare #CPC
“I will say to the Conservative Party of Canada: stop blocking this so that women can get the reproductive supports they need to have control over their reproductive future,” Holland said.
The Liberals and NDP voted to put a five-hour limit on debate Monday before the House votes on the bill at a later date.
The Conservatives, in a statement, said the bill should not be passed without proper debate and scrutiny.
“This is another empty promise from Trudeau, which does not in fact provide the pharmaceutical care they claimed and instead threatens the existing insurance plans that millions of Canadians have through their employers, unions and other providers,” it reads. in the party statement.
As much as the Liberals and NDP tried to raise fears about the Conservatives’ plans, the way the opposition’s official votes are cast is not expected to alter the bill’s trajectory.
The tough talks began over the weekend, when Singh wrote a letter to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre asking him to withdraw the motion, citing the cost of living crisis.
“Nearly one in four Canadians have reported splitting pills, skipping doses, or choosing not to fill or refill vital prescription medications because of their high costs,” he wrote.
In social media posts, Singh presented the letter as an ultimatum. “You can leave or we will arrest you,” Singh posted on X early Monday.
NDP health critic Peter Julian introduced a motion in the House on Monday asking the Conservatives to withdraw their amendment, but the Conservatives refused.
The Conservatives have argued that the vast majority of Canadians already have some form of drug coverage, and the party’s statement on Monday called Singh’s claims “false and ridiculous.”
“If Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh are looking for someone to blame for Canadians not being able to afford medications and everyday needs, then they should look at their expensive coalition’s policies that have made everything more expensive across this country.”
Ellis also criticized the list of medications that would be covered by the program and accused the government of not consulting with anyone except the NDP on which medications should be included.
“It’s riddled with old drugs, with no fees for pharmacists,” he said during the early stages of the House debate last month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2024.