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加拿大全民藥保計劃達成協議！4項禁令、買房新政也要來了
聯邦新民主黨表示，經過數周的談判，NDP已與執政的自由黨達成協議，推出國家藥物保險計劃的第一部分，其中包括避孕和糖尿病藥物的保險。
該協議是兩黨之間《支應信任協議》(confidence-and-supply agreement)的重要組成部分，並且是在3月1日提交立法的最後期限之前達成的。新民主黨發言人證實了該協議，但一些最終細節可能仍會在晚些時候確定。
該協議包括與BC省承保範圍一致的避孕藥具的全麵保險，其中包括宮內節育器和緊急避孕藥。它還包括用於1型和2型糖尿病的所有胰島素，以及其他糖尿病藥物和血糖監測等用品的基金。
首次達成協議的截止日期在去年12月被推遲，兩黨同意將其延長至3月1日。協議一直會持續到2025年6月。
此次新民主黨和自由黨達成的藥保協議，真正在加拿大實現了全民藥保。用辛格的話來說：“這對加拿大人來說非常具有曆史意義，我們感到非常興奮。”
新民主黨和自由黨還在多個方麵達成協議，另一個值得關注的是去年12月公布的牙科保健計劃。這項耗資130億元的全國牙科計劃目前覆蓋了72歲及以上的老年人，並將在2025年將擴大到所有符合條件、沒有保險的中低收入加拿大人。
除此之外，協議的待辦清單上還有下列4項擬議法案和新政將繼續推進：
禁止替工法案
根據協議，所有聯邦管轄的工人都可享受10天帶薪病假，這項新規已於2022年12月生效。
政府還推出了一項關於禁止替工法案C-58法案，禁止受聯邦管轄的行業的雇主在工人罷工期間聘用替工。該法案目前正處於下議院二讀階段。
該法案還將迫使工會和雇主在罷工或停工通知發出後的15天內進行談判，以確定哪些服務在發生爭議時將繼續提供。如果雙方無法達成一致，則將在90天內提交加拿大勞工關係委員會裁決。
該協議還促成了涉及兒童保育、 和解、 住房、 稅收公平和可持續就業的立法和新政策。但聯邦政府仍需做更多工作來履行對新民主黨的承諾。
長期護理法案
其中一項承諾是推出《安全長期護理法案》(Safe Long-term Care Act)，以"確保老年人無論住在哪裏，都能得到應有的護理"。
目前尚不清楚聯邦政府將在立法中納入哪些內容。2023年7月，聯邦政府啟動了一項在線谘詢，為該法案的製定提供信息；谘詢一直持續到2023年9月。
聯邦政府去年還發布了一份討論文件，重點介紹了《安全長期護理法》的潛在要素。文件稱，該法案可以支持"建立一個長期護理框架和行動計劃"，重點關注"公眾意識的培訓和教育"和"數據收集"。
討論文件還指出，《安全長期護理法》將"反映各級政府在老年人和殘疾人福祉方麵的共同責任"，但不會強製規定"標準或（監管）長期護理服務"。
購房者權利法案
此前自由黨和新民主黨承諾在2023年底前實施一項《購房者權利法案》(Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights)，但未能按時完成。
這一想法最初是在自由黨的2021年競選綱領中提出的。根據政綱文件，這項法案旨在確保購房過程"公平、公開、透明"。
聯邦政府在2022年聯邦預算中宣布了製定該法案的計劃，並表示將在"接下來的一年與各省和地區合作，製定並實施"該法案，還"提出一項終止盲目競標的全國性計劃"。
在盲目競標過程中，潛在買家在不知道有多少人出價或出價多少的情況下提交購房報價。
2023年預算案稱，政府將繼續努力製定一項法案，並承諾將"為年輕人、中產階級和新移民提供公平的競爭環境"。
預算案還表示，該法案可能包括"確保進行房屋檢查的合法權利，要求房地產經紀人披露他們是否代表潛在交易的雙方，以及確保銷售價格曆史的透明度"等措施。
選舉改革
協議還承諾政府將與加拿大選舉委員會合作，探討擴大民眾投票能力的方法。其中包括考慮"允許人們在其選區內的任何投票站投票"，以及改進郵寄選票的流程。
The Liberals and NDP say they have a pharmacare deal — so what's left on their to-do list?
https://twitter.com/JennaLegge1/status/1761772329158234152
There are promises still unfulfilled in the parties' confidence-and-supply agreement
Now that the Liberals and New Democrats have announced they've reached a deal on pharmacare, the path is open for the parties to carry on a confidence-and-supply agreement that has helped to keep the government in power since March 2022.
The parties have reached agreements on several fronts but there are several items on the list that have yet to be completed.
The deal provides the minority Liberal government with the backing of New Democrat MPs on confidence and budgetary matters, staving off an early election. In exchange, the Liberals have agreed to move on several NDP policy priorities. Pharmacare was just one of them.
A pharmacare deal was a major NDP condition going into the confidence-and-supply agreement, which expires in June 2025.
The government missed the initial deadline for a pharmacare agreement — the end of 2023 — and set a new deadline of March 1.
In a Friday interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said weeks of talks between the two parties have produced draft legislation. He said this will set out a framework for a national pharmacare program and, in the short term, offer new coverage for contraception and diabetes treatment.
Diabetes treatment, contraception to be covered by new pharmacare deal: Singh
"We've secured something really important, I would say really historic for Canadians. We're really excited about this," Singh said.
Another notable aspect of the agreement was the dental-care plan unveiled in December of last year. The $13 billion national dental plan currently covers seniors aged 72 and older and will expand to all eligible, uninsured low- and middle-income Canadians by 2025.
A big win for labour
The agreement led to the introduction of 10 days of paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers; that came into effect in December 2022.
The government also introduced a bill on replacement workers, C-58, referred to by union leaders and others as "anti-scab" legislation. It's currently at the second reading stage in the House of Commons.
The bill — a major win for the NDP and the labour movement — would make it illegal for employers in federally regulated industries to bring in replacement workers during a legal strike or lockout.
Striking teachers march through the streets of Montreal to press their contract demands on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
The bill also would compel unions and employers to negotiate within 15 days of a notice of strike or lockout which services would continue in the event of a dispute. If they can't agree, the matter would be referred to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for a decision within 90 days.
The agreement also has led to legislation and new policies involving child care, reconciliation, housing, tax fairness and sustainable jobs.
But there's still more the federal government must do to meet its commitments to the NDP.
Long-term care act
One of those commitments is to introduce a Safe Long-Term Care Act, which — according to the wording of the bipartisan agreement — would "ensure that seniors are guaranteed the care they deserve, no matter where they live."
It remains to be seen what the federal government will include in the legislation. In July 2023, an online consultation was launched to inform the development of the act; it ran until September 2023.
A discussion paper, also released last year by the federal government, highlighted potential elements of a Safe Long-Term Care Act. It says it could support the "creation of a framework and action plan on long-term care" that could focus on "training and education ... public awareness" and "data collection."
The discussion paper also says a Safe Long-Term Care Act will "reflect the shared responsibility of all levels of governments with respect to the well-being of older adults and persons with disabilities" without mandating "standards or [regulating] long-term care delivery."
Homebuyers' bill of rights
The pharmacare deal wasn't the only one that missed its deadline.
The Liberals and NDP vowed to implement a "Homebuyers' Bill of Rights" by the end of 2023. The idea was first pitched in the Liberals' 2021 election platform.
The idea is to ensure the process of buying a home is "fair, open, and transparent," according to the platform document.
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On paper, the Liberals’ deal for the NDP’s support is supposed to prop up their minority government until next summer. But in exchange, the Liberals agreed to a bill on pharmacare, and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is threatening that the deal could be done if they miss an approaching March 1st deadline. So could the coming weeks see the end of the deal? Would the Liberals really risk an election right now? And did the deal deliver wins for the NDP that voters will remember? CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton returns to unpack it all.The federal government announced plans to develop the bill in the 2022 federal budget. It said it would "engage with provinces and territories over the next year to develop and implement" the bill and "bring forward a national plan to end blind bidding."
In a blind bidding process, a prospective buyer submits an offer for a home without knowing how many other offers there are, or how much they're worth.
The federal government has promised what it calls a 'Homebuyers' Bill of Rights.' (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The 2023 budget said the government continues to work toward a bill and promised that it will "level the playing field for young, middle class and new Canadians."
The budget also said the bill could include measures "ensuring the legal right to a home inspection, requiring that real estate agents disclose whether they are representing both sides of a potential sale and ensuring transparency on the history of sale prices."
Electoral reform
The confidence-and-supply agreement also commits the government to working "with Elections Canada to explore ways to expand the ability for people to vote." That includes looking at "allowing people to vote at any polling place within their electoral district" and improving the process for mail-in ballots.
Under the confidence-and-supply agreement, the Liberals committed to studying ways to make it easier for people to vote. (Gabrielle Drumond/Radio-Canada)
The NDP has pushed for electoral reform for a long time. On Feb. 8, the Liberals voted against Motion 86, which called on the federal government to establish a citizens' assembly to "determine if electoral reform is recommended for Canada, and, if so, [to] recommend specific measures that would foster a healthier democracy."
NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron sponsored the motion. The House of Commons ultimately voted it down.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna Legge is a fourth-year student at Carleton University, where she studies journalism and law with a minor in political science. She is graduating in April 2024.
