OTTAWA—As the federal government readies $25 billion in cuts to pay for a huge increase in military spending, the future of pharmacare appears to be in jeopardy. The Council of Canadians denounces the anticipated cuts, along with patient advocates living with chronic illnesses who fought for extended pharmacare.
Only three provinces and one territory have signed deals for universal diabetes and contraceptives coverage so far, leaving four out of five Canadians without coverage under the new national drug plan.
On Thursday, Health Minister Marjorie Michel refused to say whether she will conclude any new funding deals with provinces and territories, putting the future of the program in question. New Brunswick’s Health Minister has suggested that the federal funding previously offered to roll out pharmacare is no longer on the table.
Council of Canadians Executive Director Dru Oja Jay has issued the following statement:
“During the election, Mark Carney said Pierre Poilievre would roll back pharmacare, accusing him of ‘following President Trump’s playbook.’ Now, Carney appears to be doing exactly what he warned Poilievre would do. This government has absolutely no mandate to snatch away coverage promised to patients who are struggling to afford their medications.”
“Pharmacare saves lives, it saves money, and it helps take the pressure off our overburdened health care workers. It can also ensure workers who lose their jobs due to Trump’s tariffs don’t lose their drug coverage at the same time.”
“Rather than putting pharmacare on ice to pay for overpriced F-35 fighter jets or Trump’s ridiculous Golden Dome, we should seize this moment to expand pharmacare and help millions of Canadians who are struggling to access life-sustaining care.”
Statement from Bill Swan, health economist, patient advocate living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Council of Canadians supporter (Nova Scotia):
“It defies logic that a Prime Minister with a profound understanding of economics, who says he is committed to spending less and investing more, fails to grasp the value of pharmacare, which will ultimately save the economy billions of dollars each and every year through lower drug costs and prevent avoidable visits to the ER.”
Statement from Mike Bleskie, patient advocate living with Type 1 diabetes and Council of Canadians supporter (Ontario):
“Universal, single-payer, publicly funded pharmacare will be life-changing for millions of Canadians, particularly those with chronic conditions like diabetes. We have waited a long time for pharmacare and have been counting on Mark Carney and his Liberal government to make access to medications affordable in these uncertain times. Funding for pharmacare needs to be restored now.”
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