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431-00215 (Health)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED

We, the undersigned Citizens of Canada draw to the attention of the House the following:

THAT, WHEREAS today, more is spent on prescription drug costs than doctors, and skyrocketing drug costs threaten the sustainability of our health care system;

WHEREAS there are over 3 million uninsured or under-insured Canadians for drug coverage;

WHEREAS a patchwork of provincial programs and work based plans means that access to medicine depends on where you live and where you work;

WHEREAS by negotiating purchases in bulk and combining administration costs, a single pharmacare program could save billions;

WHEREAS drug safety can be undermined because drug companies influence research reports and pay for drug approvals; and

WHEREAS Canada is one of the few industrialized countries without a national pharmacare program.

THEREFORE, YOUR PETITIONERS call upon the Government of Canada, in cooperation with the provinces and territories, to:

  • Establish a Canada-wide prescription drug program, phasing in drug coverage for all citizens, beginning with catastrophic drug costs;
  • Reduce the costs of prescription drugs for Canadians by implementing a bulk purchasing plan; and
  • Introduce measures to ensure that new drugs are evaluated through evidence-based research to be more effective, before they are prescribed.

Response by the Minister of Health

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Darren Fisher

We are committed to strengthening Canada’s health care system and to supporting the health of Canadians. No Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescription drugs and putting food on the table, yet many are still forced to make this impossible decision.

That is why we are committed to working with provinces, territories and stakeholders to continue to implement national universal pharmacare so that Canadians have the drug coverage they need. As part of Budget 2019, the Government of Canada announced the next critical steps towards the implementation of national pharmacare. This includes the establishment of a Canada Drug Agency, a national formulary and a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases.

Additionally, as a foundational step towards national pharmacare, the Government of Canada recently modernized the way patented drug prices are regulated in Canada by amending the Patented Medicines Regulations. Implementation of this modernized regulatory framework will enable the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board to better protect Canadian consumers from excessive prices of patented medicines. These amendments are expected to lower drug prices in Canada, which are approximately 25% higher than international peers, and save Canadians $13.2 billion over the next 10 years. The amendments were published in Canada Gazette, Part II on August 21, 2019 and are available at:  http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2019/2019-08-21/html/sor-dors298-eng.html        

The federal government is also working with the provinces and territories as an active member of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA). The pCPA combines governments’ collective buying power to negotiate lower prices on brand name drugs for all public plans, and sets the price point for many generic drugs. The pCPA has completed more than 369 joint brand drug negotiations and achieved price reductions on nearly 70 of the most commonly prescribed generic drugs. As of April 1, 2019, the pCPA was estimated to have achieved approximately $2.26 billion in annual cost savings for public drug plans.

Through these actions, we continue to work with provincial and territorial governments and other key partners to improve the affordability and accessibility of needed prescription drugs.

Presented to the House of Commons
Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
May 27, 2020 (Petition No. 431-00215)
Government response tabled
July 20, 2020
Photo - Elizabeth May
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Green Party Caucus
British Columbia

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.