44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2024 02:00PM
- May/29/24 8:46:50 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, for provinces that sign agreements with the federal government to move ahead on pharmacare, what will be the earliest date that diabetes medication, and contraception medication and devices will be covered?
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Mr. Speaker, I will be speaking for a bit before I direct some questions to the ministers.
No Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescription drugs or putting food on the table. Unfortunately, many are still forced to make this impossible decision. It is why our government continues to work with provinces, territories and stakeholders to ensure that Canadians have better access to the drugs they need. Today, I will be providing an overview of some of the work by first highlighting our latest announcement, which presents a significant step forward towards national pharmacare.
On February 29, the Minister of Health introduced Bill C-64, an act respecting pharmacare, which proposes the foundational principles of the first phase of a national universal pharmacare plan in Canada. Bill C-64 describes our government's work with provinces and territories to provide universal single-payer coverage for a number of contraception and diabetes medications. In parallel to this, our government announced its plans to establish a fund to support Canada's access to supplies that people living with diabetes require to manage and monitor their condition and administer their medication, such as syringes and glucose test strips. These are impactful initiatives that can positively change the lives of millions of Canadians.
For example, coverage for contraceptives will mean that Canadians of reproductive age, which is nearly one-quarter of Canada's population, will have better access to contraception and reproductive autonomy. This access will improve equality, help reduce the risks of unintended pregnancies and improve a woman's ability to plan for the future.
Cost has been identified by Canadian contraceptive care providers as the single most important barrier to access these medications. Bill C-64 would ensure that Canadians will have access to a suite of contraceptive drugs and devices.
Similarly, one in four Canadians with diabetes have reported not following their treatment plan due to cost. Improving access to diabetes medication will help improve the health of almost four million Canadians living with diabetes and reduce the risk of serious life-changing health complications. These complications include permanent effects to the health and well-being of a person with diabetes, such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.
This bill also demonstrates our government's commitment to consulting widely on the way forward, including the need to work with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples and other partners and stakeholders. It includes four principles that the Minister of Health is to consider when collaborating with partners towards the implementation of national pharmacare. They are accessibility, affordability, appropriate use and universal coverage.
Bill C-64 would also provide that the new Canadian drug agency would work towards the development of a national formulary developing a national bulk purchasing strategy and supporting the publication of a pan-Canadian strategy regarding the appropriate use of prescription medications. It would also require the Minister of Health to establish a committee of experts to help make recommendations on the operation and financing of national, universal single-payer pharmacare in Canada. Together, these elements would inform the next key steps towards a national, universal pharmacare in Canada, building on the work already under way.
The work under way already includes the previously mentioned Canadian drug agency. The creation of the CDA was announced in December 2023 with an investment of over $89 million over five years. Built from the existing Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, and in partnership with provinces and territories, the CDA will provide the dedicated leadership and coordination needed to make Canada's drug system more sustainable and better prepared for the future in helping Canadians achieve better health outcomes. Engagement with provinces, territories, partners and stakeholders will continue to be an important part of the agency's path forward.
In addition, our government launched the first-ever national strategy for drugs for rare diseases, as announced in March 2023. This investment of up to $1.5 billion over three years will help increase access to and the affordability of drugs for rare diseases, with the aim of improving the health and quality of life of people living with rare diseases across the country. As part of this strategy, our government will create bilateral agreements with our provincial and territorial partners to make up $1.4 billion over three years, with a focus on improving access to new emerging drugs that treat rare diseases. We will also support better access to existing drugs and activities directed at improving screening and early diagnosis for rare diseases. The aim of these efforts is to help people living with rare diseases across Canada obtain earlier access to treatments and a chance at a better quality of life.
Our government is now working with provinces and territories on these bilateral agreements, starting with jointly determining a small set of new and emerging drugs that would be cost-shared and covered in a consistent way across the country for the benefit of Canadians living with rare diseases. I am also excited to share with members an update on the excellent progress we are making with the Government of Prince Edward Island to improve access to medication for island residents.
Similar to the work under way for the drugs for rare diseases strategy, our work with P.E.I. will also inform the advancement of national pharmacare. Under the improving affordable access to prescriptions drugs program with P.E.I., those who experience the most vulnerability, including uninsured island residents, seniors, and families with a high burden of medication costs, have seen immediate benefits, including improved access to medication and reduced copays.
Through this partnership, which includes a federal investment of $35 million, P.E.I. has expanded access to over 100 medications to treat a variety of conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and MS. Last June, P.E.I. also reduced copays to $5 for almost 60% of medications regularly used by island residents. Under their seniors' drug program, the family health benefit drug program, the generic drug program and the diabetes drug program, this program has led to island residents saving $2.5 million in out-of-pocket costs so far.
Speaking to our efforts more broadly, we continue to work on regulatory innovation, including agile licensing for drugs to better support drug oversight, both before and after the sale, due to the evolving market. These updated regulations will improve safety, support economic growth, and benefit both Canadians and industry.
In closing, no one should struggle with paying for the prescription drugs they need. Our government will continue to work with provinces, territories and stakeholders on the pharmacare initiatives I have outlined and continue to work with parliamentarians in passing Bill C-64. By working together, we can realize our goal of achieving national pharmacare, which will benefit all Canadians.
My first question is directed to the Minister of Health. Before I was elected to this place, I was the chair of the board of an incredible organization, Quest Community Health Centre. I know, as the Minister of Health knows, that community health centres look to what is missing in communities to fill a void. One of those things in St. Catharines and, of course, across the world, although we can only help in our little corner, was the lack of access to dental care. The staff at Quest, led by Coletta McGrath and Jenny Stranges, was incredible. They were able to build a team of volunteer dentists and hygienists who came in to provide care for those who had not had treatment in decades, who use the emergency room as their dental care. Some would say that they would be a burden on the system, but they were just trying to get pain relief.
I was able to get messages, as the chair, from people who were grateful for having received this service, who could smile again, who could go to job interviews, who could smile with their grandchildren. It is shocking that the Conservatives would deny this to Canadians
I was wondering if the Minister of Health could outline what the government is doing and what the progress of our dental care plan is. I do not need him to respond in the time allotted. I was hoping he could provide an update on the dental care plan.
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Madam Chair, the question was regarding Bill C-64.
Can the Minister of Health tell us if Bill C-64 would provide for any government funding for any ailments other than diabetes?
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- May/29/24 10:28:12 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the intention of the bill is for diabetes and for contraception.
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Madam Chair, I need to move to the next question.
My next question is on a concerning limitation in Bill C-64 brought to me by a senior in my community. The bill, of course, is designed to provide coverage for specific prescription drugs and products intended for contraception and the treatment of diabetes. My concern and that of this constituent is that critical equipment to administer medication and monitor blood sugar levels for people with diabetes, like real-time continuous glucose monitoring devices, is not included. Instead, the Health Canada website states, “the federal government is announcing its intention to establish a fund to support access to diabetes devices and supplies.”
Glucose monitoring devices cost between $2,000 and $6,000 per year and are a crucial part of diabetes management. While providing insulin is an important measure and the Greens support it wholeheartedly, I am concerned that this senior is still on the hook for hundreds of dollars a month for this essential tool in managing her diabetes, even with the passage, once we get there, of Bill C-64.
Will the minister commit to establishing this fund to ensure that glucose monitoring devices required by diabetics will be covered across the country, and if so, by when?
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- May/29/24 11:14:20 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as the minister likely knows, because the word “pharmacare” is restricted to contraceptives and diabetes, I hesitate to use it at this point. I know that is the minister's vision for where he wants it to go. However, I am thinking about parents, such as Dylan and Kim, who want to understand more about when this could be expanded to them. Could we at least hear the minister's aspiration for when he would look to see that expansion in place?
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- May/29/24 11:45:37 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is precisely because diabetes is a precursor illness, that diabetes, when improperly managed, leads to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. It is unfortunately right now costing, as of the latest estimate, from 2018, $28 billion to our health system. It is estimated in a 10-year period to increase to $37 billion.
We have to turn the tide. We need to make sure that people are effectively managing their diabetes so that we do not get those bad outcomes, so that it costs the system less. Fundamentally, it really is an issue of prevention.
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