OTTAWA — On Thursday, Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and New Democrats are delivering a framework for the next steps of universal pharmacare for Canadians. As a first step, the NDP has forced the government to cover contraception and diabetes medications and devices free-of-charge for everyone who needs it.
These measures can save women and gender-diverse people around $200 a year for contraception and around $1,500 per year for those impacted by diabetes.
“Everyone should have access to the medication they need with their health card, not their credit card. But nearly one in four Canadians have reported splitting pills, skipping doses, or deciding not to renew or fill their prescriptions due to high costs. That’s why the NDP was committed to delivering universal pharmacare for Canadians,” said Singh. “No one should ever have to skip their medication, jeopardizing their health, because they don’t have enough money to afford it.
The Liberals had promised pharmacare for over three decades, but they always caved into the demands and the interests of big pharma and insurance companies who care more about their own profits than Canadians’ health. Clearly, the Liberals were never going to act unless we forced them to do it. And Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives would cut this crucial health care coverage for Canadians to help their big business buddies—that’s what they do, Conservatives cut.”