Tim Houston, centre, Premier of Nova Scotia and host, speaks during a press conference at the meeting of the Council of the Federation, where Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders meet, in Halifax, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
As backroom negotiations continue between the Liberals and NDP over promised federal pharmacare legislation, Canada’s premiers say they’re waiting “with interest” to see what model of drug coverage the feds might adopt and how it will affect existing insurance programs. The premiers gathered in Halifax, N.S. this week to discuss a number of shared priorities and issues, which included a dedicated ‘health summit’ to explore ideas and solutions to nationwide health care staffing shortages which have led to long wait times and significant gaps in care for patients.
But despite this specific focus on health care at a time when the federal government is poised to introduce legislation that could significantly alter the landscape for the way drugs are covered in Canada, the premiers said they didn’t spend any significant time discussing pharmacare during their health summit.