Canadian Chamber Expresses Concern after Pharmacare Bill Passes Third Reading in the House of Commons

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce believes that all Canadians should have access to the prescription medications they need.

We are therefore disappointed bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act, has not been amended to clarify that a federal pharmacare program will not jeopardize the private insurance of 27 million Canadians.

While the Minister of Health, Mark Holland, has stated that the federal pharmacare program would not jeopardize Canadians’ private coverage, the bill repeatedly references a national universal single-payer system. This contradicts the Minister’s claim, suggesting that only that public funds will be allowed to cover the drugs included their plan.

Currently, the majority of Canadians access valued drug insurance through their employers and public plans.  A universal pharmacare program will use billions of taxpayer dollars to provide coverage to Canadians who already have it and risks limiting choice in the specific medications Canadians currently access.  This is neither pragmatic nor fiscally responsible.

It is therefore critical that this bill be amended to reflect the Minister’s statements and ensure Pharmacare targets those Canadians who do not have the coverage they require, just as the government did with the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Kathy Megyery, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Quebec, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce — The Future of Business Success

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.

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Contact
Rewa Mourad
Public Relations Specialist Canadian Chamber of Commerce
rmourad@chamber.ca

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