Liberals ‘dragging their heels’ on pharmacare as COVID ups the need for affordable meds, says labour union, NDP

The Canadian Labour Congress and the NDP health critic argue the Liberal government has stalled on universal pharmacare, which would benefit many Canadians by making medications more affordable during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby reducing the strain on hospitals.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, pictured at a Hill press conference on Jan. 7, 2022, was directed to engage with willing provinces and territories towards implementation of national universal pharmacare in his mandate letter on Dec. 16.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY JESSE CNOCKAERT

February 7, 2022

With yet another pandemic federal budget on the horizon, organized labour is pushing for universal pharmacare to help workers who have lost their workplace benefits due to COVID-19 work disruptions. The prospect of a universal pharmacare program has become all the more important during the COVID-19...

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