May 13, 2026
The Hon. Minister Michel
Minister of Health of Canada
Re: Open Letter on Future of Pharmacare in Canada
Dear Minister Michel,
On April 23, 2026, you stated during question period that federal pharmacare is a program “set to end in the coming years.” This troubling statement appears to be part of ongoing efforts from this government to distance itself from previous commitments to protect existing national pharmacare agreements and ensure that all Canadians are able to benefit from the commitments set out in the Pharmacare Act.
Canada already lags far behind its peer countries in terms of public coverage for prescription medications. Canada is the only country with universal health care coverage that excludes coverage for prescription drugs. Instead, Canadians are bounced between more than 100 government-run drug insurance programs and more than 100,000 private drug insurance plans. At the same time, Canada spends more per capita on prescription medications than any other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country, with the exception of the USA, Germany, and Switzerland – and yet, more than one in five Canadians still struggle to pay for their medications.
The Pharmacare Act represents a first step towards resolving this problem, and towards ensuring that Canadians are all able to access the medications they need, regardless of their wealth, employment status, or province of residence. It is unacceptable that, just as some Canadians have started to benefit from Pharmacare Act funding, this government is signalling its intention to let that funding lapse.
We therefore call on this government to immediately commit to:
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Resuming bilateral negotiations with Canadian jurisdictions that do not yet have pharmacare agreements in place;
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Making the bilateral pharmacare agreements currently in place permanent when their current funding term ends; and
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Implementing the recommendations set out in the Final Report of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, including working with provincial and territorial governments to establish a universal, single-payer, public system of prescription drug coverage in Canada.
In the 2025 budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney boasted that the Canadian government has “one of the strongest fiscal positions in the world” and stated correctly that “we must use this fiscal firepower to make generational investments.” Completing the national Pharmacare plan is a generational investment that supports the health and well-being of all Canadians.
While costs of living continue their unsustainable rise, too many Canadians are looking at their bills and trying to decide whether to pay for groceries or medication this month. Canadians across the country deserve equal access to a universal healthcare system that doesn’t end at the hospital doorstep.
Yours sincerely,
AB for Abortion
Abortion Care Canada | Soutien à l’Avortement Canada
Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada
AccessBC
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Alberta Abortion Access Network
BC Federation of Retired Union Members (BC FORUM)
BC Federation of Students
BC Humanist Association
BC Nurses’ Union
BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
BC Rural Health Network
Camosun College Student Society
Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment (CCFWE)
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
Canadian Health Coalition
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Nursing Students’ Association
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC)
Council of Canadians – Conseil des canadiens
Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC
Cowichan for Reproductive Rights
DAWN Canada
Disability Alliance BC
Douglas Students’ Union
Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada
Fédération des femmes du Québec
Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances
Halifax Sexual Health Centre
Humanist Association of Ottawa
Humanist Canada
International Longshore & Warehouse Union – Canada
Manitoba Health Coalition
Manitoba Nurses Union
NB Health Coalition
New Brunswick Abortion Care Network
New Brunswick Nurses’ Union
Nova Scotia Health Coalition
Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union
Ontario Nurses’ Association
Options for Sexual Health
Ottawa Abortion Doula Collective
PEI Health Coalition
Post Abortion Therapy
Power Up Education
Prince Edward Island Nurses’ Union
REACH Community Health Centre
Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador
Saskatchewan Health Coalition
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
Sexual Health Nova Scotia
Society for Students with a Disability
South Shore Sexual Health
St. John’s Status of Women Council
Tri-County Women’s Centre
UACSask
UNIFOR
United Nurses of Alberta
Wellness Within
West Coast LEAF
Women Transforming Cities
Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund
Women’s National Housing & Homelessness Network
