On Feb. 29, Canada’s Health Minister Mark Holland introduced a pharmacare bill in Parliament, seemingly laying down the foundation for a new national universal single payer pharmacare plan. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh declared victory. After fifty years of efforts, he boasted that a first big step had been taken toward giving all Canadians equal access to medicines regardless of employment status or financial means.

The deal starts small, just two classes of drugs — diabetes medication and contraception — are covered free of charge, and only if the provinces who will administer the program sign on.

But already a fight is brewing between public-system advocates who want a single-payer public program established and expanded to include a vast list of medicines, and the pharmaceutical industry, health insurance firms, pharmacists and the business community who fear a multibillion-dollar change to their bottom lines, and the impact on patients and government deficits.

Navigating between the two sides is the Liberal government, which succumbed to NDP pressure in order to stave off a federal election.

In this week’s episode of “It’s Political,” just how committed is the Liberal government to public pharmacare? Federal Health Minister Mark Holland joins us.

But first we dig deep into the debate over drug coverage in Canada with Dalhousie University Political Science Professor Katherine Fierlbeck, Canada Research Chair in Health Justice Dr. Nav Persaud, former Ontario health minister and former chair of the Federal Advisory Council on Pharmacare Dr. Eric Hoskins, Pharmacist Kristen Watt, Ontario Pharmacists Association CEO Justin Bates, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association President Stephen Frank, Canada Canada Research Chair in Access to Medicines at the University of British Columbia Michael Law, Queen’s University Assistant Professor Dr. Samantha Buttemer and Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Policy and Government Relations Matthew Holmes.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the CBC, CPAC, Global, and the Canadian Press Gallery.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Michal Stein, and mixed by Sean Pattendon. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Special Episode: Deborah Blum & The Poison Squad