Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) president Bea Bruske called on federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to end his party’s obstruction of the national Pharmacare Bill.
Dubbed Bill C-64, the legislation would create a framework for a national pharmacare plan, which initially would cover insulin for those living with diabetes up to $1,500 a year and $200 a year for birth control for women and gender diverse people.
After years of effort on the part of labour, non-profit groups and the NDP, the bill was finally introduced into the House of Commons earlier this year.
READ MORE: Labour celebrates pharmacare win
The Conservatives, however, have quickly sought to kill the bill in the House this week by preventing it from passing a second reading.
Conservative MP Stephen Ellis introduced a motion calling for the bill to not pass second reading because according to Ellis: “the bill does nothing to address the health care crisis and will instead offer Canadians an inferior pharmacare plan that covers less, costs more, and builds up a massive new bureaucracy that Canadians can’t afford.”
Playing politics with people’s health
Supporters of the pharmacare bill are accusing Poilievre and the Conservatives of playing partisan politics with people’s lives.
“The rights of Canadian women are too important to get caught up in partisan politics,” said Bruske. “Women across Canada are demanding that Pierre Poilievre stop blocking free birth control.”
Bruske went on to accuse Poilievre of siding with the pharmaceutical industry over working Canadians.
“We know that pharmaceutical companies will always put profit first. But why is Pierre Poilievre siding with Big Pharma against women, workers and families,” she said. “In Canada we know over one million people struggle to be able afford the medications that they need and that’s why we need a universal single-payer pharmacare plan. Conservatives have to stop the delay tactics and their cynical attempts to block free birth control for families.”
Nearly a million people sacrifice basic necessities to pay for medicine. That’s why we need universal, single-payer Pharmacare. Starting with free birth control & diabetes medication.#CPC must stop trying to block free birth control.
MPs must pass the Pharmacare Act, now.
3/3— Bea Bruske, CLC President (@PresidentCLC) May 6, 2024
The NDP has been pushing for years for a national, universal, single-payer pharmacare plan. It was a main priority for their party and one of the conditions of their continued support of the supply and confidence agreement they have with the ruling Liberal government.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also strongly rebuked the Conservative party’s effort to kill their long standing pharmacare dream.
“While Canadians scrimp and save to afford food and rent, Pierre Poilievre is clear: he doesn’t want you to have free life-saving medications. He’s telling women they shouldn’t have free birth control when they need it, and he’s telling people with diabetes, you’re on your own—while he’s been benefiting from coverage paid by the public for his whole political career,” Singh said in a statement.
On Tuesday, May 7 the pharmacare bill passed second reading in the House of Commons with all but the Conservatives supporting the motion. The bill will now be reviewed by the House of Commons standing committee on health.
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