Healthcare advocates are saying the the federal government is preparing to table pharmacare legislation as soon as February 16. This is much sooner than expected, and leaves very little time for people to pressure MPs for the strongest pharmacare plan possible.
The shortened timeline is particularly serious given that the Liberals are expected to backtrack on their commitment to a universal drug plan which covers all people in Canada.
The government’s view is that people don’t care about the question of universality – a view that has been deliberately promoted for many months now by the government, pharmaceutical industry and corporate media. These forces have pushed hard for a limited two-tier plan that provides partial drug coverage to a fraction of the population.
Healthcare advocates are calling for people to contact MPs and demand a real pharmacare program – one that is universal and accessible for all people and that is part of Canada’s single-payer Medicare system.
The next few days are critical – tell Parliament we want full universal pharmacare, not a partial scheme that puts corporate profit before people!
