The New Democrats have rejected the first draft of the Liberal's pharmacare legislation, in what the health minister describes as extremely fluid negotiations over the highly anticipated bill.
The Liberals promised to table pharmacare legislation this fall as part of the supply and confidence deal the government struck with the New Democrats.
The deal calls for ``progress toward a universal national pharmacare program,'' but NDP health critic Don Davies says the first draft didn't meet the New Democrats' expectations.
Davies says the NDP will accept nothing less than a commitment to pharmacare paid for and administered through the public single-payer system, though it doesn't have to happen all at once.
The NDP says it would be willing to start with essential medicines and expand from there, but wants to see the timelines enshrined in the legislation.
Health Minister Mark Holland would not say whether the legislation would commit to any particular model, because the situation could change by the time the bill is tabled.