National Pharmacare

Canada's pharmacies serve millions of patients from across the country every year, and we have a deep understanding of the gaps that currently exist in Canada's pharmacare policies. After several years of dialogue, the first phase of a national, universal pharmacare program was announced in Spring 2024, with the introduction of Bill C-64, an Act respecting pharmacare. The Act describes the Government of Canada’s intent to work with  provinces and territories (PTs) to provide single-payer coverage for a number of contraception and diabetes medications.

Our Position Remains Unchanged (please see our 2022 Position Statement below for more detail.)

Refreshed key messages for Spring 2024 are:

• All Canadians deserve access to the medications they need to live a healthy life.  
• No Canadian should have to decide between paying for required prescription medications or putting food on the table.  
• While most Canadians have drug coverage, some Canadians do not have any coverage or are underinsured. Canada’s priority should be on helping those who don’t have coverage and those with insufficient coverage, without disrupting the majority of Canadians who have existing drug coverage.  
• By building on the existing mix of private and public drug coverage, the federal government can achieve a universal pharmacare plan that allows Canadians the choice to keep their current plans and continue accessing the medications they’re used to, at a cost significantly less than the estimated $15 billion in new spending required to achieve a single-payer pharmacare model.
• A single-payer pharmacare model in Canada would risk disrupting medication coverage for millions of Canadians and prevent critical collaboration with the provinces and territories.
• A single-payer pharmacare model could lead to a $1-billion hit to Canada’s pharmacy sector annually – which is the equivalent of cutting 20 million pharmacist hours out of the healthcare system, at a time where pharmacists and community pharmacies are playing a greater role than ever in delivering healthcare to Canadians.  
• There is a real opportunity to improve access to medication in Canada – and ensure every Canadian has access to the medication they need, but we need to get it right.

Our latest research, reports, member resources and other news related to our advocacy around National Pharmacare can be found at the links below.