Canada’s unions welcome the interim report presented today by the federal Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare. Its key recommendations begin to address the existing inefficiencies in an unfair system that leaves millions of Canadians unable to afford their prescriptions and grappling with the third highest drug prices in the world. “The recommendations in today’s report have the…
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Ralph Klein blinks – conservative plans to slash budgets and privatize health services thwarted by Calgary laundry workers.
November 14, 2018
On November 14, 1995, laundry workers at the Calgary General Hospital called in sick to protest the outsourcing of their jobs. Enough was enough. It was time to take a stand. Within ten days, about 2,500 workers in six hospitals and nine nursing homes were on wildcat strikes and hundreds of other health care workers joined work-to-rule and other worker…
On October 20, 1904 the leader of Canada’s first social democratic government and the father of Medicare – Tommy Douglas – was born in Camelon, Scotland. A Baptist minister by calling, Douglas would serve as one of Canada’s first CCF Members of Parliament, Premier of Saskatchewan and the first leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Often called the…
More than 80 organizations support universal pharmacare in Canada
September 24, 2018
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,…
Canada’s unions step up pharmacare campaign this Labour Day
August 31, 2018
This Labour Day, Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to get it right on pharmacare by creating a single-payer, universal prescription drug program for Canada. Labour Day offers Canadians an important opportunity to reflect on the legacy of unions, to take stock of our progress and to commit ourselves to working together for a fairer future. Canada’s unions…
CLC President Hassan Yussuff says new Advisory Council has to get pharmacare right
June 20, 2018
Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff reacted with optimism and anticipation to today’s announcement of the appointees to Canada’s Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare. “I am excited to welcome the six appointees to Canada’s newly minted pharmacare advisory council. They have an important job ahead of them and Canada’s unions are ready and willing to work with…
This Pride season, Canadians deserve a pharmacare plan we can be proud of
June 4, 2018
Canada’s unions are kicking off Pride season by renewing the call for universal pharmacare. Too many LGBTQ2SI people are among the more than 3.5 million people living in Canada who can’t afford to fill their prescriptions; and over half of people living in Canada are afraid they won’t be able to afford their prescription medication in the future. The LGBTQ2SI…
Canada moves one step closer to universal pharmacare
April 18, 2018
Canada’s unions are celebrating today’s announcement by the Standing Committee on Health that recommends a single-payer, universal prescription drug plan for Canada. The recommendation came in its report Pharmacare Now: Prescription Medicine Coverage for all Canadians, tabled in the House of Commons today. Nearly 100 expert witnesses presented to the Committee, with the majority arguing that Canada needs universal, comprehensive,…
Joint letter to Prime Minister Trudeau on finance minister Bill Morneau’s comment on pharmacare
February 28, 2018
The Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions are calling on finance minister Bill Morneau to recuse himself from the pharmacare file. In a joint letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today, the three organizations express dismay over comments made today by Morneau about pharmacare and say he should recuse himself from…