Ottawa – The Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64) is expected to pass third reading in the House of Commons later today.
Council of Canadians Executive Director, Christina Warner, has issued the following statement in anticipation of the bill’s passage in the House:
“Today’s vote brings us one step closer to realizing the long-awaited promise of national pharmacare. After years of government delays, fueled by the powerful lobbying efforts of Big Pharma and insurance giants, the patient- and community-led struggle for pharmacare has scored another victory. It is imperative for the legislation to now move swiftly through the Senate so that it can be adopted before the summer.
“But our work is not finished. Once the bill becomes law, the Council of Canadians will press the federal government to rapidly implement and generously fund the program. The government must also urgently expand the program’s coverage to include all essential medications under a universal, single-payer, first-dollar model.
“Time is of the essence. Pierre Poilievre and other Conservative MPs have consistently blocked the implementation of single-payer pharmacare, and a future Conservative government could easily dismantle a program that exists largely on paper.
“Canadians can’t afford any more delays. It’s time to stop playing politics with people’s health and get medications into the hands of those who need them as quickly as possible.”
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