After prorogation, pharmacare hangs in the balance

With the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a federal election looming, the future of pharmacare is hanging in the balance.

Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives could kill off pharmacare just as it is getting off the ground, should they form the next government, if provinces don’t sign up for the program now.

Since the Pharmacare Act was passed in October 2024, the federal government has been in negotiations with provinces and territories to deliver universal coverage for contraceptives, insulin, and diabetes drugs, as the first step of the new national drug plan.

Information on the status of those negotiations has been scant – until now. Earlier this week, federal Health Minister Mark Holland told the Toronto Star he expects to ink pharmacare deals with some provinces and territories “very soon.”

“Some are very ready to go. Others need a little bit more time. But all conversations are going very well,” Holland said Monday in an interview with the Star. “There’s some that have more questions than others or more reservations than others, and some that we’re on the doorstep of having done.”

Prorogation – unlike the dissolution of parliament – allows ministers to retain their rights and privileges. This means Minister Holland has the powers necessary to continue with negotiations. But with a federal election likely to be called for this coming spring, those negotiations are now happening on a very tight schedule.

Dr. Eric Hoskins, who chaired an advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare, underlined the fact that time is of the essence, urging premiers across Canada to act quickly and sign deals now:

My advice to the provinces and territories today would be … if you’re interested in providing your residents, your citizens with those free medications … you should be negotiating vigorously and enthusiastically in the months of January and February and March, because that opportunity may not be there after.

Pharmacare should be a no-brainer for provinces. This first phase of pharmacare will save lives, save money, and make provincial health systems stronger. But despite the obvious benefits and immense popularity of pharmacare, some premiers are dragging their heels.

Behind the scenes, Big Pharma and insurance companies have been urging provinces to resist implementing the program. They’ve also turned to the Conservative Party, who have been more than willing to echo their talking points that pharmacare is “radical” and unnecessary.

Poilievre has said he “rejects” single-payer pharmacare, but he has repeatedly dodged questions about whether he will cut the program in office. Clearly, he is worried about the political cost of such a heartless move. If these deals aren’t completed before the election, however, it will make it that much easier for Poilievre to ‘axe’ pharmacare before it has a chance to get off the ground.

Our best shot at making pharmacare “election-proof” is to raise that political cost as high as possible, by having as many provinces as possible sign on and start providing access to free medications before the next federal election.

The next few months will be crucial.

Pharmacare is no longer just a good idea; it is law, backed by an overwhelming majority of Canadians. That’s thanks to our collective grassroots campaigning, the impressive efforts we marshalled to get the Liberal government to move forward and to shield the legislative process from corporate interests trying to undermine or pervert pharmacare.

Now, we need a last push to get medicines into people’s hands. The Council of Canadians has created a map which allows you to see where your premier stands on national pharmacare and an email tool to allow you to write to your premier and provincial health minister in support of getting pharmacare deals done.

Write to your premier and provincial health minister now and demand they prioritize our health. Ask them to support national pharmacare now!