Advocates question fairness as federal government backs away from pharmacare program

OTTAWA — Reproductive health advocates say the federal government’s failure to commit to funding pharmacare in all provinces and territories is leaving people with a lot of uncertainty, and could create inequality across the country.

“It’s really disappointing, honestly,” said Liz Thompson, advocacy lead for Cover Contraception.

“It seems like they don’t really know what they’re going to do.”

The first phase of the Pharmacare Act, which was passed last fall by the Liberals and the NDP, calls for the federal government to fund the cost of contraceptives and diabetes medications for patients.

It also calls on the government to study the best way to create a universal pharmacare program to cover all medications.

The Trudeau government signed deals with B.C., P.E.I., Yukon and Manitoba to cover the cost of certain medications for four years.

It also set aside $1.5 billion in the last budget to fund the first phase of the program — but the new Liberal government will not commit to signing deals with the remaining jurisdictions.

Health Minister Marjorie Michel was asked about the lack of new pharmacare negotiations with the provinces last week. She did not commit to getting the remaining deals done.

“It’s a new government, and we are in a new context, and we have to have discussions with the provinces to see how we can support them,” she said at a press conference in Fredericton.

During the spring election campaign, the Liberals pledged in their platform to “protect dental care and pharmacare — two critical services and key parts of a strong public health care system that (Conservative Leader) Pierre Poilievre would cut.”

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Mark Carney said in response to questions that the Liberal leader promised during the campaign “that we wouldn’t cut or abolish any of the existing deals.”

“That’s incredibly disappointing and demonstrates a fundamental lack of leadership on this issue,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the chair and co-founder of the Access B.C. campaign, which has been advocating for prescription contraceptive coverage since 2017.

Phelps Bondaroff said the Liberals do not seem to be prioritizing “people’s health and well-being and equity and equality” as they focus on the threat of U.S. tariffs.

“You have a government that’s hyper-focused on these macro issues and I worry that they’re forgetting about everyday Canadians in that process,” he said.

B.C. became the first province to offer contraceptive coverage in 2023 and was among the first to sign a federal funding agreement.

Access B.C. now has sister organizations in a number of other provinces, including Cover Contraception in Ontario.

Dr. Amanda Black, past president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, said if the government does not sign new agreements, it will be a step backward for women’s health in Canada.

“I think we need to pressure both at the provincial level as well as at the federal level,” she said.

The Canadian Press reached out to Diabetes Canada for comment but has not heard back.

Julie Veinot, the executive director of South Shore Sexual Health in Nova Scotia, said people across the country should expect to have equal coverage.

“It is quite a shock to me that there is even the possibility that some provinces won’t get this coverage,” she said.

Veinot said she expected the Liberals would continue their own program.

“Unfortunately, we know the cost of living is super high right now, so we don’t want folks to have to pick between paying rent and buying birth control,” she said.

The Canadian Labour Congress celebrated the passage of the Pharmacare Act last fall, calling it a victory and a first step toward something unions have been advocating for years.

Elizabeth Kwan, a senior researcher at the congress, said if the government does not reach deals with the remaining provinces and territories, it is “breaking a promise to Canadians.”

“The government needs to understand that nation-building means also nation-building with the social programs that define us as Canadians. And I believe that that’s part of what makes us a sovereign country,” she said.

Kwan added that many Canadians depend on coverage for medications through their workplace insurance plans, and “a lot of people in Canada are losing their jobs these days” — from the thousands laid off due to the closure of Hudson’s Bay, to the 10,000 jobs lost at Ontario colleges due to cuts and program cancellations.

Layoffs and job losses are expected to rise in tariff-exposed sectors like manufacturing and industries related to steel and aluminum, she said.

“And this is why we need a universal public system,” Kwan said.

— With files from Hannah Alberga in Toronto

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press