No Pharmacare Without New Democrats « Canada’s NDP
NANAIMO – Mark Carney’s platform includes no funding, no expansion, and no commitment to deliver universal pharmacare. It confirms what New Democrats have been saying all along: without us, it won’t happen.
“Mark Carney talks about the importance of pharmacare, but there’s nothing behind it—no new money, no expansion, and $28 billion in cuts,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “This confirms what we’ve been warning about. Without New Democrats at the table, there is no real pharmacare.”
Carney’s platform confirms coverage will remain limited to birth control and diabetes medication. And while he’s promising nothing new, his plan cuts billions—publicly admitted by his campaign, reported in the press, and confirmed on his website. Once exposed, he tried to backpedal. But the record is clear: Carney will cut health care, and he won’t expand pharmacare.
The only reason Canadians have taken the first step is because people voted NDP. New Democrats forced action. Millions now have access to birth control and diabetes medication. But the next step—universal pharmacare—is at risk.
“We know Donald Trump is coming after Canadian drug prices as part of his trade war. And we know Mark Carney won’t expand pharmacare unless New Democrats are there to hold him to it,” said Singh. “Families need a government that fights for them—not one that lets U.S. drug companies profit when people get sick.”
In the first federal budget, New Democrats will fight to:
- Guarantee access to a family doctor and primary care by 2030, by hiring more health workers, creating pan-Canadian licensure, and boosting health transfers for provinces that commit to action.
- Launch universal pharmacare, securing free diabetes medication and birth control to every province and territory—expanding to cover essential medicines by year’s end.
- Stop the privatization of health care, with legislation to strengthen the Canada Health Act and ban U.S. corporations from buying Canadian health services.
- Introduce national rent control—with tough new rules to stop corporate landlords from jacking up rents and evicting tenants.
- Cap prices on grocery essentials like pasta, frozen vegetables, and infant formula—and eliminate the GST from basics like home heating, diapers, and internet.
- Fix Employment Insurance so that losing your job doesn’t mean losing everything—by lowering the hours needed to qualify, extending coverage, and raising the minimum weekly benefit.
We know Mr. Poilievre will simply cut pharmacare – he didn’t vote for it in the first place. And Mr. Carney has shown us that he won’t expand it. New Democrats are the reason Canadians have universal health care – and they will be the reason that Canadians have universal pharmacare too.
“Canada works best when we work together to get things done,“ said Singh. “We need New Democrats in Parliament to protect the health care system we’ve built, and to fight to make it better.”