Mr. Arango, after the budget, Heart and Stroke published a statement in response, and it said:
...the federal government announced the first step toward national pharmacare. The budget backed up that pledge with $1.5 billion over five years for the program. The program will cover prescription drugs for diabetes and contraception. Heart & Stroke is asking the federal government to work quickly to expand the program in a fiscally prudent way by adding key essential medicines, including prescription drugs for heart conditions and stroke.
You may know, Mr. Arango, that the NDP has been pushing for a comprehensive formulary that would include all drugs. We even offered to start with an essential medications list and specifically proposed medications for heart and stroke—cardiac medications—as well as other essential ones like antibiotics and anticholesterol drugs.
Can you give us your view on what the economic impact might be of ensuring that every Canadian gets access to the heart and stroke medication they need in a timely manner via our public delivery model?