Pharmacare in Canada: Justin Trudeau touts ‘progress’ [Video]

OTTAWA –

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on provinces and territories to start negotiating pharmacare deals as soon as possible, now that the federal legislation to enact the program has become law.

“This is real progress, but now we need the provinces and territories to come to the table and sign agreements with us that supports Canadians and takes pressure off their household budgets as soon as possible,” Trudeau told reporters on Friday as he wrapped a visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Laos.

That legislation was central to the now-defunct political pact between the Liberals and the NDP, who pushed hard for the bill to be introduced. On Thursday, NDP health critic Peter Julian pointed out that Canada is the only country with a universal health care system that does not include universal coverage for prescription drugs.

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