Pharmacare would raise taxes, says ex-watchdog

OTTAWA • Former federal budget watchdog Kevin Page will deliver a blunt message to premiers this week about the costs of a future national pharmacare program: if Canadians want one, taxes will have to go up. Page, who now heads a University of Ottawa thinktank, will walk through the numbers Friday when he gives a presentation to the provincial and territorial leaders on what lawmakers should know about creating a cross-country, publicly funded plan for prescription drugs.

The federal Liberals have put together a group of advisers, led by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins, to consult Canadians and explore options for a national program. The council is due to report back next year, when the topic of pharmacare is sure to become a major issue during the federal election campaign.

But the burning question remains: who’s going to pay for it?

Last fall, an analysis by the parliamentary budget officer estimated national pharmacare would carry a cost of about $20 billion a year. Page said there’s a solid argument to be made for national pharmacare because it would help Canadians save significantly on their out-ofpocket drug expenses and create more consistency in terms of health costs across the country. The 2017 parliamentary budget office study estimated such a plan would save Canadians more than $4 billion every year on prescriptions.