OTTAWA – As Parliament prepares to resume, a coalition of pharmacare advocates gathered in Ottawa to strategize the next steps to ensure the successful delivery of universal pharmacare. With polls showing over 90 per cent of Canadians in support of a national pharmacare program, and the Hoskins Report providing a clear path to implementation, 2020 is set to deliver big…

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions welcomed today’s Speech from the Throne, a speech that highlighted the advancement of many policies the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has been championing for years. “From increasing health coverage, to tackling climate change, to improving working conditions, this new minority government has set benchmarks for success,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “Pharmacare has been an issue…

By Hassan Yussuff, as published in The Hill Times. Across the generations, our loved ones are anxious about the future. Polls show that millions of Canadians are worried about the rising cost of living, the increasing precarity of work, climate change, and so much more. The newly elected federal government has a lot to do to alleviate these types of…

Canada’s unions will mark World AIDS Day on December 1, acknowledging that an HIV positive diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence. With effective treatment and care, many people living with HIV are leading long and healthy lives. In 1990, a 20-year-old diagnosed with HIV was not expected to live past the age of 40—today, that same person could…

OTTAWA – Today, over 140 national and provincial organizations from all regions across Canada released a joint statement calling on the new federal government to immediately implement universal, public pharmacare. The Pharmacare Now statement is supported by a diverse coalition representing health care providers, non-profit organizations, unions, workers, seniors and patients from coast to coast to coast. “The new minority government has…

Canada’s unions are marking Gender Equality Week 2019 by calling on federal political parties to commit to creating a fair Canada for everyone. “Gender Equality Week was created to celebrate recent gains while reflecting on the work that needs to be done to improve gender equality and women’s rights across Canada,” said Marie Clarke Walker, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour…

By Hassan Yussuff You can be forgiven if you’ve avoided thinking about the upcoming federal election all summer, but Labour Day is here. That means it’s time to return to the fall routine and start thinking about how you are going to cast your ballot. You may have seen politicians working the barbecue circuit, vying for the support of workers…

This Labour Day, Canada’s unions are launching a campaign to make fairness a ballot box question in the October federal election. That means unions will be calling on Canadian workers to vote for candidates who support universal pharmacare, retirement security, climate action, equity and inclusion, and good jobs for everyone. “Over the last four years, our work has resulted in…

Canada’s unions applaud today’s announcement by the federal government of new measures updating Canada’s drug-pricing regulations. “Many life-saving medicines are unaffordable. This new framework will better protect Canadians from skyrocketing drug prices by lowering the cost of brand name medicines,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “This is a good step towards a universal public pharmacare program in Canada.” Canada currently…

By Hassan Yussuff, as published in the Toronto Sun. Finally, some good news for the millions of Canadians who have to choose between paying for groceries or their prescription medications. Canada’s Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare has laid out a clear path for public, single-payer, universal pharmacare in its final report. “The time for universal, single-payer, public…