New Brunswick Health Coalition calls for provincial pharmacare deal with Ottawa

The New Brunswick Health Coalition is calling for a provincial pharmacare deal with the federal government.

The New Brunswick Health Coalition is calling on Premier Susan Holt and the New Brunswick government to sign a pharmacare deal with Ottawa, similar to deals made with a number of other provinces.

The national pharmacare program, introduced by the federal government last year, aims to improve accessibility, affordability, appropriate use, and the universal coverage of everyday medications.

Four provinces and territories have signed deals with Ottawa so far: British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney has expressed a desire to sign deals with all provinces and territories.

“In the next three weeks, activists from the NB Health Coalition will talk with ministers, the opposition parties, community organizations and the public,” says Jean-Claude Basque, co-chair of the New Brunswick Health Coalition. “We want to convince the Holt government to resume talks with the federal government and sign a deal as quickly as possible.

“Our present system has too many holes in coverage and leaves too many people behind, and in the end, it cost more to our public system.”

The first phase of the Pharmacare Act aims to provide universal, single-payer access to a wide range of contraception and diabetes medications. According to the coalition, 3.7 million Canadians living with diabetes will see their quality of life improve once pharmacare is fully implemented.

For parents of children with Type 1 diabetes, like Scott MacMillan, the cost of caring for a child’s condition can be upwards of $18,000 a year.

“Millions of Canadians ration insulin, cut pills in half or go without medication because they can’t afford it,” MacMillan says in a news release. “Without insulin, my child would die. Without glucose monitors, we’d be flying blind, constantly fearing dangerously low blood sugar levels that could leave her unconscious, seizing or dead in an instant.

“These aren’t optional supplies — they are essential to her survival.“

MacMillan says it was at that moment of his daughter’s diagnosis when she was just 15 months old, he realized Canada’s health-care system is not truly universal. He says the implementation of pharmacare would help achieve that.

“What good is seeing a doctor if we can’t afford the prescriptions they write specifically for people with diabetes, including insulin and glucose monitors and pumps,” he questions. “Canada’s the only universal health care system without universal drug coverage.”

“No parent should ever have to watch their child being airlifted and wonder if they can afford the medications that will keep them alive for the rest of her life.”

It will also benefit 9 million Canadians with improved access to contraception says the coalition.

Sophie Lavoie for Reproductive Justice NB says regardless of where you live, or how much money is in your bank account, New Brunswickers should have the ability to make autonomous decisions about their health and reproduction.

“By providing universal access to contraceptives, the bill will empower individuals to make informed choices about family planning, eliminate financial barriers to accessing birth control, and promote gender equality and bodily autonomy,” notes Sophie Lavoie for Reproductive Justice NB.

The coalition says it is estimated that Canadian drug prices are the fourth highest among the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development countries. It says, because of the high costs, one in 10 Canadians go without essential medications.

The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association Executive Director Anne Marie Picone said in a statement:

“We believe everyone should have a right to access the medication they need. Data from the Conference Board of Canada shows that 97% of Canadians already have or are eligible for medication coverage.

We believe the national Pharmacare legislation will create confusion and potential medication disruption for the vast majority of Canadians who already have medication coverage, and it will create a significant challenge in overcoming the serious labour shortage the pharmacy profession is already facing in New Brunswick.

Our position is consistent with that of the Canadian Pharmacists’ Association (CPhA), the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, and other provincial pharmacy organizations urging the federal government to take a more focused approach to address gaps in the existing system."

The Health Minister John Dornan sent a statement reading:

“We were pleased to hear Prime Minister Carney recommit to funding pharmacare. We share the calls from many groups for greater affordability and access to medications. We believe the best way forward is for the federal government to invest alongside our government into the strengths of our existing system, rather than replace it with a one-size-fits-all model.

Before the federal election, aligned with our platform commitment, we had asked Ottawa to fund universal contraception access. We continue to be interested in finding a solution with Ottawa on diabetes support aligned with supporting accessibility and affordability of our existing programs without disrupting the stability of coverage people rely on today.

By working together, we can strengthen coverage in practical, sustainable ways - improving access for New Brunswickers."

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.