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Pharmacare Consensus Principles

A diverse coalition representing health care providers, non-profit organizations, workers, seniors, patients and academics has come together to issue a statement of consensus principles for the establishment of National Pharmacare in Canada.

Our coalition believes that National Pharmacare should be a seamless extension of the existing universal health care system in Canada, which covers medically necessary physician and hospital services, and therefore operate in harmony with the principles of the Canada Health Act.

National Pharmacare should be governed by the following principles:

  1. Universality
    Coverage for all residents of Canada on equal terms and conditions.
  2. Public, Single-Payer Administration
    A publicly administered and delivered program that is integrated with the Medicare systems in which it operates, directly accountable to the public it serves, and leverages single-payer procurement to maximize purchasing power for the entire Canadian population.
  3. Accessibility
    Access to covered medications without financial barriers or other impediments.
  4. Comprehensiveness
    Coverage for as many medications as judged safe and effective by scientific evidence and based on the best value for money.
    Ensure the public servant experts who select medications for coverage are appropriately insulated from political pressures and marketing campaigns.
  5. Portable Coverage
    Continuous and consistent coverage for residents who move within Canada.

In addition to the five principles above, our coalition believes that the federal government must offer leadership in order to achieve National Pharmacare. This must include substantial funding commitments, sufficient to induce provincial and territorial governments to opt-in to the national program.

Signatories

National Organizations

Acorn Canada

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights / Action Canada pour la santé et les droits sexuels

Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians / Alliance pour l’égalité des personnes aveugles du Canada

Be the Change Earth Alliance

BloodWatch.org

Broadbent Institute / Institute Broadbent

Canada Without Poverty / Canada Sans Pauvreté

Canada’s Building Trades Unions / Syndicats des métiers de la construction du Canada

Canadian AIDS Society / La Société canadienne du sida

Canadian Association of Community Health Centres / Association canadienne des centres de santé communautaire

Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians / Association Canadienne des Médecins d’Urgence

Canadian Association of Retired Persons

Canadian Association of Retired Teachers / Association des enseignantes et des enseignants retraités du Canada (ACER-CART)

Canadian Association of Social Workers / Association canadienne des travailleuses et travailleurs sociaux

Canadian Association of University Teachers / Association canadienne des professeures et professeurs d’université

Canadian Cancer Survivor Network / Réseau canadien des survivants du cancer

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives / Centre canadien de politiques alternatives

Canadian Doctors for Medicare / Médecins canadiens pour le régime public

Canadian Federation of Medical Students / Fédération des étudiants et des étudiantes en médecine du Canada

Canadian Federation of Musicians / Fédération canadienne des musiciens

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions / Fédération canadienne des syndicats d’infirmières et d’infirmiers

Canadian Federation of Students / Fédération canadienne des étudiantes et étudiants

Canadian Health Coalition / Coalition canadienne de la santé

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network / Réseau juridique canadien VIH/sida

Canadian Injured Workers Alliance

Canadian Labour Congress / Congrès du travail du Canada

Canadian Medical Association / Association Médicale Canadienne

Canadian Nurses Association / Association des infirmières et infirmiers du Canada

Canadian Nursing Students’ Association / Association des étudiant(e)s infirmier(ère)s du Canada

Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union / Le Syndicat canadien des employées et employés professionnels et de bureau

Canadian Paediatric Society / Société canadienne de pédiatrie

Canadians for Tax Fairness / Canadiens pour une fiscalité équitable

Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists / Société canadienne des pharmaciens d’hôpitaux

Canadian Union of Postal Workers / Syndicat des travailleurs et des travailleuses des postes

CATIE

Children’s Healthcare Canada

Child Care Now (Canada’s Child Care Advocacy Association) / Un Enfant, Une Place (Association canadienne pour la promotion des services de garde)

Citizens for Public Justice / Citoyens pour une politique juste

College of Family Physicians of Canada / Collège des médecins de famille du Canada

Community-Based Research Centre / Centre de recherche communautaire

Community Food Centres Canada / Centres communautaires d’alimentation du Canada

Congress of Union Retirees of Canada / Association des syndicalistes à la retraite du Canada

Council of Canadians / Conseil des canadiens

Council of Canadians with Disabilities / Conseil des Canadiens avec déficiences

CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) / SCFP (Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique)

DAWN Canada (DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada) / Réseau d’action des femmes handicapées du Canada

Faces of Pharmacare / Visages de l’assurance-médicaments

Global Foundation for Social Harmony and Sustainable Development

Health Providers Against Poverty / Fournisseurs de Soins de Santé Contre la Pauvreté

Heart & Stroke / Coeur + AVC

Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD) / Coalition interagence sida et développement (CISD)

Inter Pares

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Motion Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories and Canada (IATSE) / Alliance internationale des employés de scène, de théâtre et de cinéma des États-Unis, de ses Territoires et du Canada (AIEST)

Leadnow

Millennial Womxn in Policy

National Association of Federal Retirees /  Association nationale des retraités fédéraux

National Association of Women and the Law / Association nationale Femmes et Droit

National Council of Women of Canada / Conseil National des femmes du Canada

National Farmers Union / Union Nationale des Fermiers

National Organization of Retired Postal Workers / Organisation nationale des travailleuses et travailleurs retraités des postes

National Pensioners Federation / Fédération Nationale de Retraités

National Union of Public and General Employees / Syndicat national des employées et employés généraux et du secteur public

Pediatric Chairs of Canada

Pharmacare 2020

Polaris Institute / Institut Polaris

PovNet

Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada / Institut professionnel de la fonction publique du Canada

Public Service Alliance of Canada / Alliance de la Fonction publique du Canada

Realize / Réalise

RTO/ERO

SEIU Healthcare

Society of Rural Physicians of Canada/Société de la médecine rurale du Canada

T1International

Unifor

United Church of Canada / Église Unie du Canada

United Food and Commercial Workers / Travailleurs et travailleuses unis de l’alimentation et du commerce

United Steelworkers / Syndicat des Métallos

Upstream: Institute for a Healthy Society

Urban Alliance on Race Relations

Women’s Shelters Canada / Hébergement femmes Canada

Provincial & Territorial Organizations

AccessBC

AIDS Committee Newfoundland & Labrador

Alberta Association of Community Health Centres

Alberta Community Council on HIV

Alberta Council on Aging

Alberta Federation of Labour

Alberta Federation of Union Retirees / Fédération des syndicalistes retraités de l’Alberta

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees

Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux

Alliance for Healthier Communities (Ontario)

Alternatives North

ARCH Disability Law Centre

Association of BC College Pension Plan Retirees

BC Building Trades

BC College of Family Physicians

BC Federation of Labour

BC Health Coalition

BC Nurses’ Union

BC Poverty Reduction Coalition

BC Rural Health Network

British Columbia Association of Community Health Centres

British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members

British Columbia Government and Service Employees’ Union

British Columbia Government Retired Employees Association

British Columbia Retired Teachers’ Association

British Columbia Teachers’ Federation

Centrale des syndicats du Québec

Citizens With Disabilities – Ontario

Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois de lutte contre le sida

Coalition des tables régionales d’organismes communautaires

Coalition solidarité santé

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

CUPE Ontario / SCFP Ontario

Disability Alliance BC

Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN)

Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec

Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ

Fight for $15 & Fairness / Lutte pour 15$

Friends of Medicare (Alberta)

Health Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador

Health Sciences Association of Alberta

Health Sciences Association of BC / Association des sciences de la sante de la Colombie-Britannique

Hospital Employees’ Union

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – BC Provincial Council

Living Wage for Families Campaign

MacKillop Centre for Social Justice

Manitoba Association of Community Health

Manitoba Federation of Labour

Manitoba Health Coalition / Coalition manitobaine de la santé

Manitoba Nurses Union

Médecins québécois pour le régime public

MoveUP

New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice / Front commun pour la justice sociale du Nouveau-Brunswick

New Brunswick Federation of Labour / Fédération des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Nouveau-Brunswick

New Brunswick Medical Society / Société médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick

New Brunswick Nurses Union / Syndicat des infirmières et infirmiers du Nouveau-Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour

Non-Academic Staff Association (Alberta)

Northern Territories Federation of Labour

Nova Scotia Association of Community Health Centres

Nova Scotia Federation of Labour

Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU) / Syndicat de la fonction publique de la Nouvelle-Écosse

Nova Scotia Health Coalition

Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union

OHIP for All / OHIP pour tous

Ontario College of Family Physicians

Ontario Federation of Labour / Fédération du travail de l’Ontario

Ontario Health Coalition

Ontario Nurses’ Association

Pacific AIDS Network / Réseau Pacifique de SIDA

Parent Support Services Society of BC

PEI Coalition for a Poverty Eradication Strategy

PEI Federation of Labour

PEI Health Coalition

PEI Nurses’ Union

Planned Parenthood NL Sexual Health Centre

Public Service Alliance of Canada, BC / Alliance de la Fonction publique du Canada, Colombie-Britannique

Québec Accessible

Quebec Association for the Defense of the Rights of Retired and Pre-Retired Persons / Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario / l’Association des infirmières et infirmiers autorisés de l’Ontario

Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador

Saskatchewan Federation of Labour

Saskatchewan Medical Association

Saskatchewan Union of Nurses

Save Our Northern Seniors / Sauvez nos aînés du Nord

Seniors United Now

Service Employees’ International Union – West

Sexual Health Nova Scotia

Sexual Health Options, Resources & Education Centre

Table des regroupements provinciaux d’organismes communautaires et bénévoles

Union des consommateurs du Québec

United Nurses of Alberta

Workers Action Centre

Yukon Federation of Labour

Yukon Medical Association

 

This list was last updated on February 28, 2020. 

We welcome additional signatories. If your organization wishes to sign on, please email cfnu@nursesunions.ca.