Perfect. Thank you very much for the question.
I think no one will be surprised when I say it's critically important that we get movement in this year's budget. As some folks might already be aware, in the 2019 budget there was some funding for a Canadian drug agency. That has already been provided, to start an organization that can work toward this very evidence-based formulary of the most needed and effective medications so that we can get started.
There's also been some funding set forward for a national strategy for rare diseases. Some of us might be familiar with the fact that the more rare diseases often have very specialized and very expensive medication. It was determined in the Hoskins report that this likely needs to have its own strategy.
We have these moving pieces in place already. It's seems as though we've already put together some funding and a lot of effort toward getting the foundation ready. If we don't continue to proceed with this momentum, we really have not made the most of that funding that's already been invested. I think the momentum is already there. We know that Canadians overwhelmingly support the idea of national pharmacare. I think at this point it's not a matter of if, but when.
In the meantime Canadians, in both the private and public sector, are paying way more for our medications than we need to. So it's critical to act quickly.