Conservatives call on auditor general to investigate $250 million PrescribeIT program

Conservative MPs are calling on the auditor general to probe the federal government's handling of a $250 million program which is reportedly set to be scrapped next month.

PrescribeIT was launched in 2017 to modernize the way doctors send prescriptions to pharmacies and to phase out older technology, such as fax machines.

Conservative MP Dan Mazier cites reporting by The Globe and Mail which suggests fewer than five per cent of prescriptions are sent using the PrescribeIT program, which is being shut down on May 29.

Mazier says Conservatives have been working at the committee level to produce documents related to PrescribeIT.

He accuses the government of filibustering those efforts until it can restructure the parliamentary committees to reflect the Liberals' new majority in the House of Commons, which is expected to happen this week.

Mazier says if that happens, the public may never see documents explaining the government's handling of PrescribeIT.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby