Major National Pharmacare Update

This picture was the last time I was able to see Minister Hajdu in person, just before leaving Ottawa prior to the first COVID lockdown.

Far too many Canadians can’t afford the medicine they need to be well - we are working to change that.

Today, PEI became the first province to sign an agreement with Canada’s Minister of Health Patty Hajdu and the federal government to accelerate the implementation of a national universal pharmacare system. I am hopeful that other provinces, including Nova Scotia, will soon be in a position to do the same.

Over the past few years our government has been working to establish a national pharmacare program across Canada.

We've advanced a number of measures to set the foundation for national pharmacare, including:

—> Commissioning the landmark report from Dr. Eric Hoskins, which outlined the steps required to build a national pharmacare system here at home.

—> Establishing the Canada Drug Agency to coordinate the purchase of essential drugs in bulk with the provinces and territories at lower costs.

—> Developing a new national formulary for identifying a comprehensive list of prescription drugs needed in Canada and ensuring access is equal across the country.

—> Investing $1 Billion over two years and up to $500 Million per year moving forward to improve access to high-cost drugs for rare diseases.

—> Changing Canada’s Patented Medicine Regulations to bring down the cost of drugs.

With these measures in place, we are able to begin working on agreements with the provinces and territories to help advance access to medicine across Canada.

Today’s agreement with PEI is a major step forward for pharmacare in Canada. I hope to see Nova Scotia and the other provinces and territories sign on as well, because every Canadian deserves access to the medicine they need, regardless of their ability to pay.