OTTAWA — The federal health minister has asked the Senate to move as quickly as possible to pass the government's pharmacare legislation so that Canadians can start accessing medications by next spring, he told reporters Wednesday.
"My objective is to see every province, every territory by April 1 of next year see these drugs flowing. That's my goal," Holland said. Holland can only begin formal negotiations with provinces and territories to administer the program when the bill receives royal assent, but said he's not waiting to start talking to his provincial and territorial counterparts about what those deals could look like.Provinces like British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, which already cover many of the medications that would be offered, have expressed enthusiasm about Ottawa's proposed program.