World Contraception Day of Action, September 26

Prescription contraception is a right, not a luxury. The ability to manage your own fertility, decide if and when to have children, and have healthy pregnancies should not depend on where we live, our insurance coverage, or how much money we have in our bank accounts. But too many people in Canada can’t afford to pay for contraception medication and devices – from birth control pills, to IUDs, to implants, to the morning-after pill– because of the cost. 

A public, single-payer drug insurance plan that covers all Canadians, also known as pharmacare, could change this.

The Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64), slated to become law in the fall 2024, lays the foundation for a universal, single-payer system that will begin by covering contraception and diabetes medications and devices. When this program comes into effect, people can access the contraceptive medications they need free of charge. What stands in the way of universal access to contraception is the negotiations between the federal and provincial/territorial governments on the details of how the program will work in each province, and when it will be implemented.

On World Contraception Day, September 26th, 2024, the Council of Canadians, Action Canada, AccessBC, and other allies working on reproductive health are hosting a day of action for pharmacare and free contraceptives. On this day, our activists and allies are taking actions across the country to bring public attention to the need for a universal pharmacare program that includes contraceptives, and put pressure on premiers and health ministers across provinces and territories to sign on to and roll out the first step of the pharmacare program as soon as possible.

The day of action will bring together Council of Canadians chapters, activist and members and reproductive health allies in each community to stage actions featuring both striking visuals to capture public attention and public outreach and education to raise awareness and recruit people to the campaign. The actions will target provincial health ministers or premiers, as well as federal health minister Mark Holland and local MPs, spotlight the urgent need for universal contraceptives, and draw the connection between public, universal, single-payer pharmacare and the struggle for reproductive freedom.