Canadian Chamber Statement on Pharmacare Bill Passing Committee Without Amendment

While we respect the work of members of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, we are disappointed to see Bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act, move to a final vote without any amendments.

Since this legislation was tabled, the government has presented Canadians with conflicting views of its national pharmacare program.

Before both House of Commons and Senate Committees, the Minister of Health, Mark Holland, reassured parliamentarians that Canadians would have a “choice” between their private insurance and the federal public plan.

Then, late last week, in a letter to the Senate, the Minister stated that Bill C-64 would in fact implement a universal, single-payer system, writing “Under this program, the cost of these medications will be paid for and administered through the public plan, rather than through a mix of public and private payers.”

The legislation itself, which is only two pages long, raises more questions than answers.

And this is only the first step of national pharmacare, which will eventually be expanded to cover all categories of drugs. With the valued workplace insurance of 27 million Canadians at risk, not to mention the risk of federal creep into provincial areas, we cannot accept this level of ambiguity from policymakers.

The Senate must amend C-64 to reassure Canadians – consistent with the Minister’s public statements – that they will not lose access to the medicines they take through their workplace benefits plans to stay healthy.

• Kathy Megyery, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Quebec

Contact:

Karl Oczkowski
Senior Director, Corporate Communcations & PR
koczkowski@chamber.ca