| COMMITTEE BATTLE — Expected to dominate today’s political agenda: Whether serial killer PAUL BERNARDO and LUKA MAGNOTTA can live the life of Riley in medium-security prisons. The Conservatives with the aid of a Bloc MP summoned the Commons public safety committee to hold an 11 a.m. meeting during a break week to consider their request for a study of the prisoner transfers to less stringent facilities, a charged issue sure to suck up attention during a slower week in politics. It hits on a key CPC theme of slamming the Liberals for being soft on crime. And it has let the Conservatives apply pressure to the NDP, notably B.C. MP PETER JULIAN who sits on the committee. If the committee deep-sixes the study, add another item to the list the Conservatives can say is being covered up. — Rink stink: CPC MP FRANK CAPUTO raised hell after visiting the La Macaza facility outside Montreal, where he noticed the facility has a hockey rink and said he saw a “well-fed” Bernardo. On Sunday, Caputo shared a letter by MARCIA PENNER, a friend of one of Bernardo’s victims, KRISTEN FRENCH, sent to Correctional Service Canada Commissioner ANNE KELLY. “The difference between a maximum-security penitentiary and a medium-security facility such as La Macaza couldn’t be more different,” she wrote. “By leaving Bernardo in medium security, you are telling everyone that what this monster did wasn’t that bad.” Caputo has challenged Kelly to a one-on-one radio interview debate. — Not so facts: CP’s STEPHANIE TAYLOR found the rink and tennis courts have fallen into disuse. PressProgress’ LUKE LEBRUN dated the rink to at least 2014, existing under the previous Conservative government. But with enough ammo for both sides at the committee table over an emotionally charged debate, this will be a fire fight to watch. — Related reading: Here’s CBC’s J.P. TASKER with the look-ahead and background. TÊTE-À-TÊTE — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU meets with Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT on Friday, and is expected to cover the burning issue of immigration funding. That’s according to La Presse Canadienne (here’s an English translation via CityNews). PABLO RODRIGUEZ, transport minister and the Liberals’ Quebec lieutenant, reportedly helped set up the meeting. — Approaching 'crisis': Legault’s government insists Quebec is at capacity and can’t keep providing public services to new arrivals. The province has demanded C$1 billion from Ottawa to cover costs from asylum seekers since 2021, claiming it’s on the verge of a humanitarian crisis and that Quebec’s identity is at risk, PHILIP AUTHIER reported in the Montreal Gazette. But the federal government has only approved C$155 million. — Pressure is on: Down in the polls, Legault is being pressed in the Quebec legislature by the PQ to call a referendum on immigration powers. PHARMACAN THEY DO IT? — How exactly did the Liberals and NDP whittle coverage in their new pharmacare plan down to just two drug classes: birth control and diabetes? That question has been largely left out of all the talk about the new legislation, and the technical briefing by Ottawa bureaucrats on the bill’s release didn’t reveal that answer. A new commentary out this morning in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on the heavy financial burden of cancer care points out ERIC HOSKINS’ pharmacare report frequently referenced costly cancer treatments as a rationale for more comprehensive, national drug funding. Fiscally constrained Ottawa vows to produce a list of essential medicines, eventually, and consider expanding the basket of coverage. But it has also described the move as a pilot project and it still needs to work out deals with provinces. But the why should at least be clear by now. — The political appeal: Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and several Cabinet ministers plugged the bill at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto on the eve of International Women’s Day. “There has been an outpouring of support from women, right across this country, every corner of it,” said Women and Gender Equality Minister MARCI IEN. “I am talking activists, I am talking medical professionals, young women, experts — all saying that this was the right thing to do.” On the day the new bill was announced, NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH called out “direct attacks on women’s rights and a woman’s right to choose” south of the border when touting the new plan. — The policy goals: Some 9 million Canadians are of reproductive age, according to Health Canada officials, and studies have consistently shown cost is a barrier to birth control. Low-income Canadians and young adults tend to not have coverage. Insulin has also become much more expensive and the consequences of rationing medication can be devastating to a person. As University of Ottawa professor PATRICK FAFARD previously pointed out to Playbook, the provinces have had “trouble keeping up in terms of whatever assistance programs they do have, so that is a good policy rationale.” He also noted the two drug classes are “salient” — everyone knows what they are, what they do and who they help. Hoskins previously told Playbook the pharmacare push could help millions of Canadians: “Do we have a long way to go still? Sure, of course, but the two classes of drugs for diabetes and for contraception — those are two great places to start.” — Questions raised: The media™ spent the past week and change raising its eyebrows about the realities of where this is all headed. ICYMI, see health journalism dean ANDRÉ PICARD’s take in the Globe, noting Canada’s health-care sector is littered with pilot projects that failed to scale up. — Related listening: ALTHIA RAJ’s Friday “It’s Political” podcast tackles the realities of the issue and includes an interview with self-described incrementalist Health Minister MARK HOLLAND, who has expressed optimism about inking deals with several provinces. Here’s an excerpt that lays out the state of play: → Raj: “In the end, pharmacare in Canada may not look like the bill that you tabled. Decisions could be made to go in another direction. As well, that could look at whether or not the governments are the first payee or the payee-of-last resort — that is also on the table. We may or may not have decisions before the next election campaign, including how we want to pay for it. But your goal is that at least the program is being rolled out before the next campaign.” → Holland: “That's correct. That's a fair characterization.”
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