Contraception should be included in any future federal pharmacare deal, says NDP leader

There is no pharmacare deal in place yet, but federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on the Trudeau government to ensure contraception is covered under any future plan.

Speaking outside a pharmacy in B.C., Singh says it is unacceptable that the cost of these important drugs may be getting in the way of women accessing them.

“This is about ensuring that we don’t just say that people have the right to do what they want with their body, (but) that we back that right up with a concrete step to tearing down the barrier that prevents some people from accessing contraception,” he said.

Singh said all prescribed contraception, including medication, IUDs, and emergency contraception, should be included.

“Put simply, New Democrats believe you should use your health card — your health number — not your credit card to get medication,” he said. “That’s what we believe. And that’s what we’ve been fighting for.”

The Heart & Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society commissioned a poll that revealed nearly one-quarter of people surveyed reported splitting their pills, skipping a dose, or not filling or renewing a prescription because it’s too expensive. Due to this, people with chronic conditions may end up in crowded emergency rooms, the poll found.

The deadline for the government to reach a deal with the NDP on pharmacare is March 1, and Singh is signalling the two sides are still facing challenges in negotiations.

He says his party will soon be giving the government a final offer, and if the Liberals don’t follow through on a proper plan, he will consider that an end to the supply and confidence deal between the parties.

The Liberals had originally promised to introduce legislation by the end of the year that would set the foundations for a future pharmacare program. In December, the NDP and Liberals agreed to the new March 1 deadline to pass the law in the House of Commons, as part of the parties’ deal to keep the minority government in power.

But so far, the parties have not been able to come to a consensus on exactly what that framework should look like.

In October, the parliamentary budget officer said a single-payer universal drug plan would cost federal and provincial governments an additional $ 11.2 billion in the first year of the program, and $13.4 billion in the fourth year.

With files from Sonia Aslam and The Canadian Press.