Action Alert: Let’s make pharmacare happen!

With the passage of Bill C-64 at second reading in the Senate, on June 18, Canada is inching ever closer to a long-awaited national pharmacare program. Yet, to make pharmacare a reality, the bill needs to move speedily through the Senate and receive royal assent. 

Join us! Call on Prime Minister Trudeau and Senate leadership to deliver a universal, single-payer pharmacare program, benefiting all Canadians. Call on Premier Doug Ford to work with the federal government and make pharmacare happen in Ontario!

In 2021, 21 per cent of the country’s population – including a disproportionate number of immigrants and racialized Canadians – did not have insurance to cover the cost of prescription medications. Many of these fellow Canadians end up in emergency departments and are admitted to hospitals. And many others develop chronic illnesses which they can’t manage because they can’t afford the medications they need.

Bill C-64 sets out a path to universal coverage, starting with specific prescription medications and related products for contraception and diabetes. It also contains a framework for universal, single-payer pharmacare that would cover all essential medications from coast to coast to coast – and would save Canada billions of dollars through centralized purchasing.

To make all this happen, the federal government must ensure Bill C-64 receives royal assent. Then the federal government must reach agreements with all provinces and territories. Nurses call on Premier Ford to make Ontario the first province to reach agreement with the federal government.

Vigilance is also needed to ensure that politicians, including Senators, not succumb to pressures from insurance companies, pharma and other corporate interests. A successful pharmacare plan that will reach all in Canada hinges on continued advocacy and oversight to safeguard against any potential backpedaling or watering down of the proposed program.

RNAO has fought hard to get to this day and we will continue to do so. Join us! Call on Prime Minister Trudeau, Senators, and Premier Ford to make sure that a universal, comprehensive, single-payer pharmacare program – one that benefits everyone – becomes a reality in Ontario and in Canada.