Premier Tony Wakeham has refused to open the House of Assembly for the fall sitting. While the NL NDP understands the current administration is still new to the job, there’s still important work to do.
Here is the question that Leader and MHA for St. John’s Centre, Jim Dinn, would have asked in Question Period today:
“Speaker, for years, we have watched the former Liberal government drag their feet on negotiating with their own federal counterparts on a program that would deliver essential, affordable medication to residents across the province.”
“One in three people in our province live with diabetes, and this funding could have made a real difference in ensuring everyone has access to the medication they need. Instead, it looks like government left money on the table.”
“It’s even more concerning at the lack of mention of the Pharmacare program in the federal budget, leaving many in this province who are still hopeful that government will make the right decision and sign on to the program left with little hope.”
“Our province already funds a glucose monitoring program. By participating in the national plan, those existing costs could be offset, allowing us to redirect savings to strengthen our public healthcare system as a whole. By signing on to the federal program, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living with diabetes would finally have access to coverage regardless of their income.”
“Seeing as the Premier and the Minister refuse to clarify if they spoke to the Federal Minister of Health about Pharmacare, I ask the Minister of Health: Will your government do what is right and speak to Carney about negotiating a deal to bring the federal Pharmacare program to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?”