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TORONTO — Ontario’s NDP is pledging to create a provincial pharmacare plan, appealing to the grassroots about a year out from the start of next year’s election campaign.

Leader Andrea Horwath announced the policy Saturday in a speech to about 1,000 delegates at the party’s convention.

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“Seeing a doctor just doesn’t mean much if you need a prescription, but you can’t afford to fill it,” she said.

“Just like Tommy Douglas started in one province and built Medicare step-by-step, we’re going to start building universal pharmacare right here in Ontario,” Horwath said, prompting a standing ovation.

Horwath refused to divulge any details, saying she would announce those on Monday, but a party official later said the cost of the plan is pegged at about $475 million.

The Liberal government is set to deliver its first balanced budget since the recession next week, and Horwath suggested she was open to plunging the province back into the red to pay for her plan.