NDP celebrates B.C. pharmacare deal

Funding is already in place and should flow now, not a year from now, said Singh

Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh issued the following statement:

“I am thrilled that, today, British Columbia families have the relief of knowing diabetes medications and devices and menopause medications are soon to be free, on top of the B.C. NDP’s free birth control plan. This will change the lives of thousands of people. This will put money back in people’s pockets. This will give people better health.

New Democrats fought like hell for this plan because Canadians need relief, and we believe no one should have to pay for good health or reproductive freedom.

When the Liberals said no to pharmacare and sided with Big Pharma, New Democrats fought back. When the Liberals tabled a watered down bill that didn’t deliver universal care, the NDP fought back. When the Conservatives tried to block pharmacare again, we fought back hard. I’m incredibly proud that the NDP and our growing movement delivered.

Not surprisingly, the Liberals have announced a bogus delay in funding to 2026. In the last budget, parliament passed $1.5 billion to start handing out pharmacare-covered medications for people in 2024-25. The money is there, ready to go. Why the let down? There is no decent reason to make British Columbia families continue to pay out of pocket for medicines they need for another year.

Canadian universal health care and pharmacare isn’t just a good plan – it's a value at the core of who we are as New Democrats and as Canadians. Let’s keep going.”