Some provinces may not get pharmacare funding if they keep pushing back: Trudeau

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OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to be threatening some provinces over his party’s election promise for a national pharmacare plan, saying if they don’t agree with it they may not get federal funding.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Toronto Star’s editorial board, the prime minister dropped a lot of hints about the Liberal election platform and how his party plans to handle issues like universal pharmacare.

Trudeau has yet to reveal the full details of the Liberal commitment but notes some provinces, like Ontario and Alberta, are aggressively pushing back and he suggests some may end up having their funding withheld.

RELATED: Health experts ask federal leaders to commit to pharmacare

“I don’t want to send money to Doug Ford or Jason Kenney, for example, if they’re not going to actually move in the right direction,” he says.

The prime minister adds universal healthcare was first implemented province by province and that may have to be the case with the rollout of pharmacare.

The national plan to pay for prescription drugs is shaping up to be a major issue in the fall election campaign, with all major parties set to propose their own strategies to deal with the rising costs of medicines in Canada.

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