The Green party is making a national pharmacare plan – a key plank of its election platform.

The party says its plan would save billions of dollars – while making  affordable medicine a reality for all Canadians.

The plan would co-ordinate and expand the patchwork of public and private plans – which already provide drug insurance to 22 million Canadians.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May says the plan would ensure two million Canadians have access to prescriptive medications – that they otherwise could not afford – and the Greens will work with all federal parties, provinces and others with a stake in health care to implement the plan – as the second phase of Canada’s universal health system.

The party also says its approach would apply greater scrutiny to drug registration – by refusing to register medications that hurt more people than they harm.