Pharmacare is ‘ours to finish,’ Liberals say
Universal plan front and centre at convention
H A L I FA X • As the federal Liberals start their search for the big ideas that will fuel their re-election campaign next year, their policy convention in Halifax this weekend has made at least one thing clear: pharmacare is front of mind.
Even before delegates voted the creation of a universal pharmacare program as their top priority, it was clearly the policy that generated the most excitement on the convention floor.
The Liberals know they face a challenge in the 2019 election. Burdened with the baggage of governing — and having broken some of their promises — how can they rekindle the “Real Change” energy and optimism that was so successful for them in 2015?
“We (won) by having the courage to present new ideas to Canadians about the economy, about how to create good middle-class jobs in the 21st century,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday in a campaign-style speech at the convention.
But he closed with an acknowledgment that new ideas are needed once again.
“We have every right to be proud of our accomplishments as a movement and as a country,” he said. “But it didn’t happen by accident and it won’t continue without effort.”
The Liberal delegates — particularly the party’s youth wing, represented by nearly a quarter of the 3,000 registered to attend — used the convention to push a roster of progressive policy resolutions: pharmacare, decriminalization of all drugs (voted the third-highest priority), decriminalizing the sex trade (voted fourth), creating a guaranteed minimum income (voted sixth).
Yet despite assurances from cabinet ministers in attendance they were “open to the discussion,” some of those resolutions were clearly dead in the water — at least for now. Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor had already rejected the notion of decriminalizing drugs before the convention began and Trudeau did the same Saturday.
“On that particular issue, as I’ve said, it’s not part of our plans,” he told reporters.
That stands in stark contrast to pharmacare, on which significant preparatory work is already underway in government.
The spring budget funded a federal advisory council on pharmacare headed up by Eric Hoskins, who resigned as Ontario’s health minister to take the job. Just last week, the all-party House of Commons health committee tabled a report that recommended a universal singlepayer program.
Asked about that resolution, Trudeau said, “I can tell you from many, many conversations with Liberals that it is a priority for us”
It was touted throughout the convention as a cause whose time has come. It was raised in numerous panel discussions, most of which had “the middle class” as part of their titles. The centrepiece of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s speech to the convention on Friday night was a section called “the case for pharmacare.”
But those in attendance didn’t need any convincing.
“We’ve discussed it, studied it and we haven’t implemented it,” lamented one delegate in a policy workshop. “We’ve got a majority!”
If it was clear most Liberals want pharmacare to be the centrepiece of their appeal to voters in 2019, they are also clearly aware the NDP are eager to campaign on it, too — a fact acknowledged by the Liberal MP sponsoring the policy at the convention.
“Friends, this is Liberal business,” John Oliver told delegates Friday morning. “This is ours to finish, not the NDP.”
There is, of course, the problem of money. A universal program covering the cost of pharmaceuticals for Canadians would be expensive. While its impact on the federal purse would ultimately depend on how costs are shared with provinces, the Parliamentary Budget Officer recently estimated public spending would have to increase by about $7 billion annually.
There is also the question of coverage. Just two months ago, Finance Minister Bill Morneau told the Economic Club of Canada that he favoured a limited approach that would cover only Canadians who currently lack drug coverage through a private insurance plan. He has since said he’ll wait for expert advice.
Morneau mentioned the pharmacare advisory panel in a speech Saturday, then hinted there are big things to come ahead of the election.
“We have big plans,” he said. “We know there’s more to do. We know the work you’re doing over these days is going to help us to get there.”
Ambition was the theme of the gathering’s showcase event, an onstage discussion between Gerald Butts, Trudeau’s principal secretary, and David Axelrod, who had been a senior adviser to former U.S. president Barack Obama.
“I know there are down times in politics, when the (media) isn’t friendly and the wind is in your face, and you gotta work your way through that,” Axelrod said in front of a packed convention hall. He stressed the need to remember “why we do the work.”
Butts described the party’s current situation as being “an incumbent government trying to do big things well.” He also recalled advice he had received from Axelrod years ago, when he was still working in Ontario politics: a party can win with concrete measures and a positive message.
But what concrete measures will go into the party’s next platform? Will it indeed centre around pharmacare, as seemed so likely in Halifax? Will the party’s grassroots find acceptance of any of their other priorities?
Asked by reporters, Trudeau answered cautiously.
“One of the great things about an open convention like this is the opportunity to draw on ideas from all across the country,” he said. “We look forward very much to seeing what the grassroots have to say about where their priorities are and we’ll of course reflect on next steps for a broad range of issues they bring up.”