DRIFTING APART — With the Liberal leadership underway, one of many questions for when the House returns — if the House returns — at the end of March, concerns the status of the ongoing dance between New Democrats and the minority government. Will New Democratic Party Leader JAGMEET SINGH find a new friend in the new Liberal leader and next PM? Or will he make good on his latest promise to bring down the Liberal government at first opportunity? Playbook looked into the status of pharmacare — the NDP’s political baby — to get a sense of the state of play. — High-stakes moment: The window for Ottawa to usher in the first phase of national pharmacare — free birth control and diabetes medicine to anyone with a health card — is up against the threat of a federal election. The Pharmacare Act passed in October with C$1.5 billion in the latest budget allocated to the program over five years. Since health care falls within provincial and territorial jurisdiction, Ottawa must forge a national program from bilateral deals. Once a province signs on, the feds will deliver money to cover the costs of contraception, diabetes medications and supplies. Now, with opposition parties promising to vote non-confidence as early as March, the program is in jeopardy. — Plus: The Conservatives, who are currently expected to form the next government, have yet to share their thinking on pharmacare or the Canadian Dental Care Plan. — No more deals: NDP health critic PETER JULIAN says work to cement deals and get provinces on side can be done right now. He insists the NDP is done supporting the Liberal government — no matter who ends up at the helm. — What if?: What if the new leader promises to expand pharmacare beyond free contraceptives and diabetes medications — or to add more money to the pot in the next federal budget? “No,” Julian said. “Everything is in place, so there’s no excuse. Get it done.” — The party that cried wolf: Even after the New Democrats “ripped up” its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals last September, it continued to side with the Liberals on confidence votes. The party helped pass the government’s “GST holiday” and supplementary estimates, which included new money for the Canadian Dental Care Plan. — For real now, seriously: Julian points to pharmacare to underline why Singh really means it when he says the party is done with the Liberals. “[He] has been very clear numerous times about this,” Julian said. “It’s the difference between rhetoric and reality. The rhetoric was, ‘Let’s get all these things done.’ We see a hesitation even with putting pharmacare in place.” — Let’s make a deal: The office of Health Minister MARK HOLLAND says the government is looking forward to “signing agreements soon.” The minister and Health Canada officials have been in direct contact with every province and territory, Holland’s office said. British Columbia has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Liberal government that states they will work toward a pharmacare agreement, but it has yet to reach a formal deal. New Brunswick Premier SUSAN HOLT told Playbook her Liberal government and Ottawa counterparts are “motivated” to move quickly. Holland visited Holt's province in mid-January to discuss details. “It would be great if we could come to an agreement and get something signed and firmed up before an election,” Holt said on Jan. 15. | 
