For Immediate Release
May 12, 2026
Health Minister urged by 65 civil society organizations to expand program to other provinces, make funding permanent as new cost-of-living crisis looms
Victoria, BC – May 13, 2026 – AccessBC, the Council of Canadians, and over 60 other organizations are calling on the federal government to immediately recommit to national pharmacare, following “troubling” comments from Health Minister Marjorie Michel suggesting the future of the program is in jeopardy.
The open letter was sparked by the Health Minister’s recent statement in the House of Commons that funding for pharmacare is “set to end in the coming years.” “It is unacceptable that, just as some Canadians have started to benefit from Pharmacare Act funding, this government is signalling its intention to let that funding lapse,” reads the open letter.
The federal government should resume bilateral negotiations with provinces and territories that do not yet have pharmacare agreements in place and make existing bilateral pharmacare agreements permanent, the letter’s signatories say.
So far, only British Columbia, PEI, Manitoba, and the Yukon have signed deals for universal coverage of diabetes medications and contraceptives. Health ministers from PEI and Newfoundland have been told by federal officials that no new deals will be signed and funding for existing deals will not be renewed beyond March 2029.
“No one should have to ration medication, skip prescriptions, or choose between paying for groceries and protecting their health,” said Devon Black, national liaison and co-founder of AccessBC. “The Pharmacare Act was supposed to be the first step toward fixing a broken patchwork system. Letting these agreements expire would be a betrayal of Canadians.”
Nearly one-quarter of Canadians (22%) are splitting pills, skipping doses, or deciding not to fill or renew a prescription due to cost, according to a 2024 Leger poll. Canada already lags far behind peer countries in terms of public coverage for prescription medications. Canada remains the only country with universal health care that does not include universal coverage for prescription medications.
“Universal health care cannot stop at the hospital door, and someone’s ability to access life-saving and life-changing medicine should not depend on their income or postal code,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, chair and co-founder of AccessBC. “If the federal government is serious about affordability, health equity, and building a stronger public health care system, it must make pharmacare permanent, universal, and public. Anything less leaves too many people behind.”
The open letter argues that completing national pharmacare is a generational investment in the health and well-being of people across Canada. The federal government’s own statements about Canada’s strong fiscal position show that there is no excuse for abandoning pharmacare now, the letter points out. The organizations urge the Carney government to follow the recommendations of the 2019 Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare and establish universal, single-payer, public prescription drug coverage across Canada.
“The Health Minister needs to stop listening to corporate lobbyists opposed to pharmacare, and start listening to the Canadian people, who overwhelmingly support this program. The Liberal government’s own experts say pharmacare is long overdue,” says Nikolas Barry-Shaw, trade and privatization campaigner for the Council of Canadians. “These pharmacare cuts might make a few pharma and insurance execs happy, but it’s a move that risks alienating many progressive voters who expected better.”
AccessBC and the Council of Canadians say the federal government must provide immediate clarity on the future of pharmacare and commit to making existing agreements permanent.
“Since Mark Carney was elected, no new pharmacare agreements have been signed, the government has flip-flopped on negotiating and funding additional agreements, and now the Minister’s comments are putting the future of pharmacare in jeopardy,” said Phelps Bondaroff. “People across Canada deserve to know whether this government intends to defend pharmacare, expand it, and make it permanent, or whether it plans to let urgently needed drug coverage disappear.”
Signatories of the letter include national unions like the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and UNIFOR, women’s organizations like the Fédération des femmes du Québec, Action Canada and Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, defenders of public healthcare like the Canadian Health Coalition, as well as organizations representing students, retirees and people with disabilities.
AccessBC and the Council of Canadians are currently running a nation-wide Phone Zap campaign, and are calling on people across Canada to call the Minister of Health and Prime Minister and urge them to follow through on their commitments to pharmacare.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff (he/him)*
AccessBC Committee Chair and Co-Founder
www.AccessBC.org
tealepb@gmail.com
778-678-8325
Devon Black (she/they)*
AccessBC National Liaison and Co-Founder
devon.black@protonmail.com
778-350-4032
Nikolas Barry-Shaw (he/him)*
Council of Canadians Trade and Privatization Campaigner
nbarryshaw@canadians.org
514-825-2263
*Disponibles pour les entrevues en français.
Quotes from Letter Signatories
“We have a responsibility as a country to provide medical care which includes pharmacare.” – Peggy Nash (she/her), Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“Canadians more than ever need national single payer Pharmacare. Canadian workers and seniors are struggling every day to make ends meet. We should never have to choose between paying bills or buying medication. It’s a question of human dignity, equality and care.” – Tom Doran (he/him), President, International Longshore & Warehouse Union – Canada.
“According to Statistics Canada, 30% of women in Canada live with a disability. We also face the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, homelessness and gender-based violence. Investing in the National Pharmacare Program is an urgent need, not an option!” – Bonnie Brayton, CEO, DAWN Canada.
“Pharmacare, including universal access to contraception, is one of the most effective investments a government can make. It is unacceptable that this Government plans to cut this key affordability measure for Canadians at a time when they need it most.” – Meghan Doherty (she/her), Directory of Policy & Advocacy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.
“It’s a violation of the Canada Health Act when only people in some provinces and not others can access essential medicines at no cost through Pharmacare. For contraception, it rises to a Charter violation of gender equality because it’s mostly women and trans people who need access. It is an outrage when the federal government inflicts harm and injustice onto Canadians by flagrantly violating its own laws and Charter.” – Joyce Arthur (she/her), Executive Director, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
“Manitoba has benefitted greatly from signing onto the expanded federal Pharmacare program. In times of rising cost of living and growing inequality, Manitobans cannot afford to lose this program and the financial support it provides. We need expanded, universal Pharmacare across the country, not cuts.” – Noah Schulz (he/him), Provincial Director, Manitoba Health Coalition.
“We’ve seen encouraging progress on pharmacare, but the Prime Minister now has a responsibility to Canadians to see it through to completion. Until every person in Canada can access the medications they need without compromise, the promise of our universal health care system remains unfulfilled.” – Paula Doucet (she/her), President, New Brunswick Nurses Union.
“Even before the rise in the cost of living, we were seeing people who were unable to afford birth control – including staff and colleagues. Now that food, fuel, and housing are at all time highs, people need access to free contraception so they can not only plan their families, but deal with sometimes debilitating conditions like endometriosis or heavy menstrual bleeding. The most effective forms of birth control on the market are expensive, and people should have access to the types of birth control that make sense for them.” – Julie Veinot (she/her), Executive Director, South Shore Sexual Health.
“The Halifax Sexual Health Centre has been providing free and discounted contraceptives since the 1980s. We know that people need to choose the birth control method that works with their health and their lifestyle, not their wallets.” – Abbey Ferguson (she/her), Executive Director, Halifax Sexual Health Centre.
“Pharmacare and its facilitation of access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) in BC has provided a significant benefit regarding reproductive choices for people with uteruses. This autonomy and freedom to choose offers increased economic benefit to all British Columbians. It would be a definite step back in reproductive rights to remove this access.” – Tiffany Melius (she/her), Executive Director, Options for Sexual Health.
“Healthcare does not end when a prescription is written. At REACH, we see how access to medications helps people stay healthy, avoid crises, and live with greater stability and dignity. Pharmacare should be built as a universal public program, not a temporary pilot or a privilege tied to income or postal code.” Melinda Markey (she/her), Executive Director, REACH Community Health Centre.
“Nearly 50% of pregnancies in Canada are unplanned according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Canada. This has significant financial and social impacts on Canadians, and costs our healthcare system over $320 million per year. Free access to prescription contraception should not depend on your postal code, and bodily autonomy should not have a price tag.” – Natasha Hines, Chair, Wellness Within.
“Universal healthcare is incomplete without universal pharmacare. Access to medications, including contraceptives and diabetes treatments, is essential to health, dignity, and economic security. This is not only a healthcare issue, but also a feminist issue, as women and gender-diverse people are more likely to live in poverty, take on unpaid caregiving, and shoulder the responsibility of managing family health needs.” – Courtney Clarke (she/her), Executive Director, St. John’s Status of Women Council.
“For decades seniors across Canada fought diligently for a National Pharmacare Act, we were elated when it finally passed. Imagine the betrayal we feel when told that the door is closed to any new negotiations with a sundowning for funding of current programs to occur in the spring of 2029.” – Sam Wiese (she/her), President, BC Federation of Retired Union Members (BC FORUM).
“As nursing students, we see firsthand how the inability to afford medications can delay treatment, worsen health outcomes, and place patients at greater risk long after they leave the healthcare system. In a country that prides itself on universal healthcare, no one should have to choose between meeting their basic needs and accessing essential medications. Healthcare does not end at the hospital doors.” – Scarlett Montserrat Sanabria-Ramos (she/her), President, Canadian Nursing Students’ Association.
“Students are already stretched thin by the rising cost of living. Expanding access to essential medication through a national pharmacare plan means fewer students will have to make impossible choices between their health, rent, groceries, or tuition. Now it’s time for the federal government to keep its promises and continue building a better Canada.” – Madison Huynh (she/her), Women’s Director, Camosun College Student Society.
Background
On April 23, 2026, after a question from Don Davies, Minister of Health Marjorie Michel stated during question period that federal pharmacare is a program “set to end in the coming years.” This signals a troubling retreat from the federal government’s commitments to protect existing pharmacare agreements and deliver on the commitments set out in the Pharmacare Act. The full exchange, available here, is transcribed as follows:
Don Davies, Vancouver Kingsway, BC:
Mr. Speaker, in the last election, the Prime Minister promised to protect pharmacare and sign agreements with all provinces and territories as quickly as possible. Despite those clear commitments, his government has failed to sign a single agreement. This week, P.E.I.’s health minister revealed the Liberals’ plan to scrap pharmacare entirely when current deals expire.
Will the government provide funding in the spring economic update to protect pharmacare and expand it to all Canadians as they promised, or are Liberals breaking their commitment to public pharmacare?
Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, let me repeat what I always say whenever we talk about pharmacare. The government remains committed to working with the provinces and territories to determine how best to support Canadians in the area of health care, based on their needs. Regarding Prince Edward Island and the article my colleague referred to, we are not making any cuts. These are programs that are set to end in the coming years. The government has not made any cuts, quite the contrary.
I will work with the Province of Prince Edward Island to see how to better support it when it comes to health care.
The Carney government’s commitment to negotiating new pharmacare agreements has been unclear, with the Minister of Health being non-committal when asked. The Carney government has indicated that they will honour the four existing deals, but is not promising to negotiate others.
Meanwhile, a number of jurisdictions have been clamouring for agreements, most notably Newfoundland and Labrador, with other jurisdictions (Saskatchewan, NWT, Nunavut, and NewBrunswick) indicating that they are open to negotiations, but that Ottawa is not coming to the table. Equally alarming is news from P.E.I. that calls into question the long-term funding for this province’s health care programs, including pharmacare.
Positive results are already being seen in jurisdictions where the national Pharmacare plan has been implemented. For example, in British Columbia, one component of pharmacare – free prescription contraception – has already been in place since 2023. In the three years since it was implemented, the policy has allowed more than 407,000 people to access this life-saving and life-changing medicine at no cost.
UBC researchers examining the policy’s impact found that in the first 15 months of the program, the number of people in B.C. using any form of prescription contraception increased by 10%. This research, published in the BMJ, found a 49%-per-cent jump in long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) use after BC made contraception free, and estimated that of the 80,200 people who accessed long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) through the program, at least 11,400 of them would not have been able to access these contraceptives had the government not made prescription contraception free.
The Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64), passed in October 2024, committed to funding nationwide coverage for diabetes medication and supplies and free prescription contraception. However, since the Act’s passage, only four agreements have been signed, all of them prior to the most recent federal election. It is unclear where the current government stands on negotiating new agreements. More than 60% of funding allocated for pharmacare implementation has been earmarked in these four agreements, and the most recent federal budget did not include any additional funds for pharmacare. It is noteworthy that the four implementation agreements, signed with BC, Manitoba, the Yukon, and PEI, only cover 17% of Canada’s population.
At a time when the federal government is seeking to sharply reduce operational costs, BC has demonstrated that providing coverage for free contraception is highly effective at reducing healthcare expenditures. Studies have found that free prescription contraception is a revenue-positive policy. Dr. Wendy Norman, from UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team’s Contraception Cost-effectiveness modelling project team, estimated that the policy would save the BC health system $27 million annually, or around $5 per BC resident, per year.
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