It's time to put Canadian families ahead of Big Pharma: NDP

NDP Health Critic Don Davies made the following statement:

"People across Canada continue to pay excessive costs for prescription drugs – among the highest in the world. This forces many Canadians to choose between things like groceries, rent, or the life-saving medicines that they need.

Since 2015, Justin Trudeau has tasked his health ministers to lower drug prices in Canada. But instead of making medicines more affordable for Canadian families, drug prices have risen every single year since the Liberals were elected. They have postponed overdue pricing reforms four times and refused to act on strong domestic production policies.

The inaction from the Liberals has meant millions of Canadians go without the medicine they need because pharmaceutical companies choose to withhold access to drugs as a pressure tactic. As with the Conservatives before them, massive profits are put before essential pharmaceutical policy reform.

This is unconscionable. No Canadian should go without the medicine they need, and life-saving medicine must not be used as a bargaining chip.

New Democrats have long called on the government to bring our drug prices into line with what other nations pay. We believe that greater pricing transparency must be implemented. We have used our power to secure a commitment from the federal government to pass a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of next year – something which the Liberals voted against just a year ago. We’ll continue fighting to make sure our healthcare system includes universal, public pharmacare and for better pharmaceutical policy in Canada."