Alberta Health Minister says province wants ability to opt out of pharmacare plan

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Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says the province wants the ability to opt out of a national pharmacare plan that is expected to be tabled in Parliament this week, and instead receive a per-capita share of the plan’s funding to enhance its own programs.

Ms. LaGrange told a news conference on Monday that 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.

“We are not going to allow Ottawa to pick and choose what coverage should be available to Albertans based on issues they find politically palatable,” Ms. LaGrange said. “This appears to be a hastily arranged, politically motivated program.”

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced on Friday that his party had reached an agreement with the governing Liberals to introduce the first piece of a national pharmacare program. The pharmacare pact keeps alive a supply-and-confidence agreement, in which the NDP has propped up the minority government in the House of Commons in exchange for key policy concessions.

The pharmacare program is expected to initially cover the costs of diabetes and birth control medications. Its precise workings will be spelled out in legislation, which Mr. Singh has said will be tabled later this week. The NDP Leader has made a March 1 deadline a condition of his party’s continued participation in its deal with the Liberals.

Alberta had objected to the prospect of a national pharmacare plan even before details were released last week, as had Quebec, which also wants to opt out if given the option.

Ms. LaGrange acknowledged that it is difficult to get into any “actual numbers” before the legislation is tabled. But she rejected the idea that the province is raising objections prematurely. She said Alberta already has a “robust” program, primarily through the Alberta Blue Cross – though that plan includes premiums for some people that are as high as $118 per month for a family or $63.50 for an individual. Subsidies are available for lower-income Albertans to reduce those monthly rates.

Ms. LaGrange said the federal government is encroaching on Alberta’s authority to deliver health care services. She noted that the province has already objected to a national dental program for similar reasons.

The office of Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said in a statement that the Quebec government has repeatedly said it has exclusive jurisdiction over the province’s health care. The statement said Quebec will demand withdrawal with full compensation if the federal government moves forward with its drug insurance project.

The statement noted that Quebec has had a drug insurance plan since 1997. It added that intervention by the federal government risks compromising that plan, and that Ottawa should let the provinces take care of their areas of jurisdiction, and play its role by boosting health transfers.

Mr. Singh, on Parliament Hill hours before Ms. LaGrange held her news conference, said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith must explain why the province is “refusing to take action that would save lives, save money for those people and prove our health care outcomes.” He said the Premier will need to explain to Albertans “why they’re turning down an investment that would cover everyone in that province for their insulin and for their medical devices necessary for diabetes.”

But Mr. Singh said the situation is different for Quebec. That province, he said, has always had a right of withdrawal with full compensation. If provinces negotiate together, he added, they can use their collective purchasing power to reduce costs for everyone.

The plan is to work with provinces on single-payer public funding, to ensure people can access their medications, Mr. Singh said. When the existing universal health care system was ushered in, not every province wanted to sign on, he noted.

On Sunday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that the pharmacare deal between the Liberals and NDP will not jeopardize Canada’s fiscal standing. But the issue of how pharmacare will be funded is expected to be a hot-button issue in the House of Commons.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also come out against the pharmacare program, arguing that most Canadians already have coverage through their workplaces or provincial programs.

With a report from Marieke Walsh