September 17, 2019 (Ottawa, ON) – Canada’s nurses welcome the Green Party’s platform commitment to public universal pharmacare, announced yesterday as part of the party’s federal election platform. The announcement makes the Greens the second federal party to confirm their support for universal public prescription drug coverage, following the NDP.
“Canada’s nurses are pleased that the Greens’ platform commits to universal pharmacare – the gold standard for national prescription drug coverage,” said Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU). “The Greens are clearly listening to nurses and Canadians, who have repeatedly voiced support for a single-payer system that covers prescription medications for all.”
The federal government’s pharmacare advisory council recommended a universal model of public drug coverage in its final report released this past summer. The report was based on a year of study, national consultations and deliberation, and it called for an end to the current inefficient and inequitable patchwork of private and public coverage in favour of a single streamlined program for all.
Both the NDP and the Green Party have put universal pharmacare front-and-centre in their election campaigns. The Liberal and Conservative parties have yet to announce their plans to address the widespread lack of access to prescription medications in Canada.
“Now that the Greens and the NDP have presented such bold commitments on pharmacare to Canadians, we look forward to seeing similar commitments on pharmacare from the Liberal and Conservative parties,” concluded Silas.
Canada’s nurses have been advocating for universal prescription drug coverage since 1991.
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For more information:
Lauren Snowball, CFNU Communications Officer, 613-868-5702 (mobile), media@nursesunions.ca