NDP welcomes the newly appointed pharmacare committee of experts

NDP critic for Health Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby) issued the following statement:

“The NDP is pleased that the pharmacare committee of experts, per the pharmacare bill, has been appointed today. This is a group we believe shares the NDP’s urgency to implement free, universal pharmacare.

New Democrats believe you shouldn’t have to choose between groceries, rent, and the medications you need to live a healthy life. We secured a big first step in covering birth control and diabetes medication. But our work isn’t done yet—this newly appointed committee will be tasked to put forward a plan to implement public and universal pharmacare so all Canadians can have access to their medication for free with their health card, not their credit card

Right now, Canadians are paying some of the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. New Democrats want to change that. That’s why we fought back against the big pharmaceutical companies to secure a huge first step in introducing a single-payer, universal pharmacare program. The program starts by covering contraceptives and diabetes medications, saving Canadians hundreds to thousands of dollars per year.

New Democrats thanks the new committee for taking on this ultimate task to ensure we secure a single-payer, universal pharmacare program for Canadians:

• Nav Persaud
• Steve Morgan
• Linda Silas
• Stephane Ahern
• Amy Lamb

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