The New Democrats are calling on Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon to tell Yukoners whether his caucus supports the universal public pharmacare plan announced by the federal New Democrats and Liberals last month.

A wide range of diabetes medications and contraceptives, including intrauterine devices (IUDs) and prescription and emergency birth control, will be covered at no upfront costs to Canadians, according to the plan’s draft framework.

“The national pharmacare program will help Yukon diabetics and empower Yukoners to have agency over their reproductive health,” NDP Leader Kate White said last Thursday.

“The Yukon NDP fully backs the plan because it will make life better for Yukoners.

“I want to know if Currie Dixon can support it without upsetting his conservative base.

“I’ll make it hard for him to duck the question, so I’ll be very specific: will Currie Dixon and the Yukon Party support the universal pharmacare model announced in Ottawa?”

White plans to remind Dixon that “‘universal’ means all Canadians, including Yukoners, would be covered for diabetes meds and contraceptives, regardless of income.

“Alberta has rejected the plan out of hand, with United Conservative Party Health Minister Adrianna Lagrange vowing the province will opt out, without considering the details,” White said.

Last week, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre declined to say if he’d dismantle pharmacare if the federal Tories win the 2025 election.

Pressed by media at a recent press conference, he simply walked away from reporters without answering their questions.

“I hope Currie won’t follow Poilievre. I want Currie and the YP to be honest about what they’d do,” White said.

“I’d be surprised to see conservatives supporting universal public pharmacare when they’re already lukewarm about universal public health care,” the NDP leader added.

“Currie Dixon and Pierre Poilievre are both clamouring for elections, and they know it’s easy to take a wait-and-see approach while voters decide their political future. It’s a lot harder to lead,” White added.

The Star asked the Yukon Party about White’s remarks and questions.

“The Yukon Party wants what the majority of Yukoners want: an election, so that voters can have a say on the Liberal-NDP coalition governments in both the Yukon and Ottawa,” the official Opposition caucus said in a statement.

“Just like Kate White and the territorial NDP, (federal NDP Leader) Jagmeet Singh talked tough on the Liberal government, but when push came to shove, caved on delivering universal pharmacare as was promised to Canadians in the Confidence and Supply Agreement. (CASA),” the Yukon Party said.

“The federal NDP and the territorial NDP continue to prop up their Liberal coalition partners, despite the fact the Liberals ignore or underdeliver on their CASA commitments.

“We are done with this government; Yukoners are done with this government,” the Yukon Party added

“The question remains: is Kate White done with this government and willing to give up the $270,000 in direct annual funding her caucus receives from the Liberal cabinet?”

It “remains unclear” how the recent announcement related to a model of pharmacare that covers some drugs in some jurisdictions will work in the Yukon, the official Opposition said.

“It would seem that the Yukon government was not consulted about this program and there have been no details released about how it will work in the Yukon, nor how much it will cost.

“It comes as no surprise that these details are unimportant to the Yukon NDP,” the Yukon Party added.