If Canada wants national pharmacare, taxes will have to go up, former PBO warns
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 think tank, 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?