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CLOCK IS TICKING — Health Minister MARK HOLLAND tells Playbook that if his pharmacare bill clears Parliament by summer break, he’ll switch gears and launch formal negotiations with willing provinces.
“That's my intention,” he said in the hallway outside committee room 225-A in West Block, moments before he defended the bill before lawmakers on the health committee. “I want to be able to get into direct negotiations with provinces as early as the summer so that we can be announcing agreements shortly thereafter to be able to get people drugs as soon as possible,” Holland told Playbook. “I've had preliminary conversations with all provinces, those have been very positive, and we're going to work with existing provincial systems.” — Early outlook: B.C.’s NDP Premier DAVID EBY is perhaps the most eager beaver, expressing interest early on in inking a deal, while Quebec and Alberta drew battle lines, seeking to opt out. Ontario remains a harder read. — Back-of-the-napkin math: Ottawa’s bilateral health funding agreements, with the most recent announced in March, had taken about half a year from the first deal being hammered out to the last straggler. — The stakes: The pharmacare legislation is a marquee plank in the supply-and-confidence agreement the Liberals have with the NDP. The New Democrats want to brandish the policy win to supporters as something they extracted from the government, while also striking a contrast with the Conservatives. (The party sent out a fundraising email Thursday headed, “Protect Pharmacare from Pierre”). — Clock check: Holland said the urgency is in helping Canadians who lack access to key drugs. — Calendar check: Hard not to notice there’s little more than a year and change left until the next election, assuming it’s not triggered earlier. Or that this is key load-bearing legislation holding up a minority Parliament. — Race to finish: Government House Leader STEVEN MACKINNON said this week he’s gunning to get it through the House by summer break, but he can’t say the same for the Senate, where the Liberals lack control. The pharmacare bill, C-64, is on the legislative pre-summer-break fast track, zooming through committee study this week and set for clause by clause on Monday. The government invoked closure on debate and capped the witness testimony at 10 hours, setting off opposition parties. Even pharmacare proponent Green Party Leader ELIZABETH MAY said in the House this week she objects to “seeing a constant loss of our opportunity to thoroughly debate issues because of the need to bring down le bâillon, toujours la guillotine.” — The HESA critics: Conservative health critic STEPHEN ELLIS called it another bad bill being rushed through that will cost Canadians. Bloc MP MAXIME BLANCHETTE-JONCAS pressed for Quebec to be able to withdraw with “full compensation.” STEPHEN FRANK, head of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, warned that the bill could disrupt existing employer drug coverage and leave a “huge gap for Canadians who rely on other medications beyond diabetic drugs and contraceptives.” The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is urging the government to rethink its plans,warning the bill would “leave most Canadians worse off.” — The advocates: Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. The Canadian Labour Congress. The Canadian Health Coalition, which brought MIKE BLESKIE to testify, a Type-1 diabetic and gig worker in his 30s without private insurance who urged MPs to pass the bill, telling them he’s left with tough choices about rationing his supplies when rent is due. — Up to bat today: Former energy minister of Ontario GLENN THIBEAULT and RUSSELL WILLIAMS, both from Diabetes Canada; drug-pricing experts MARC-ANDRÉ GAGNON and STEVEN MORGAN; Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders’ DURHANE WONG-RIEGER, BILL VANGORDER from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, JOHN ADAMS of the Best Medicines Coalition, ANGELIQUE BERG of the Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management. — The curious quiet: The bill also covers emergency contraceptives, of which there has been little debate even as it has the potential to be politically explosive. When Playbook asked about the crickets on that, Holland said that’s a question to put to individual MPs. “There are people who want to pretend that this isn't real. That's what the Conservatives are doing,” he said. “Do they support women having access to the full range of contraceptive options that this bill encapsulates? I think that's a conversation they want to avoid and it's a conversation we need to have.” | 
