What we want
- A national pharmacare program that provides universal coverage for essential drugs and controls the rising costs that threaten the sustainability of public health care.
- Regulations that put patient safety and health before the interests of the pharmaceutical industry.
- Cancel regulations that allow drug companies to reap high profits by extending their patent protection.
- A program that reduces the escalating costs of employee drug plans making Canadian businesses more competitive.
How the Liberals have failed
- Drug spending hit $25 billion last year, up 145 per cent under the Liberals.
- They have allowed drug costs to skyrocket while staffing and other key parts of the health care system have suffered.
- They have allowed drug companies to introduce newer, more expensive drugs that provide little or no advantage over existing drugs.
Why the Conservatives are worse
- A push for faster drug patent approval means the Conservatives will sacrifice patient safety and give more profits to drug companies.
- The Conservatives will do nothing about rising drug costs.
What the New Democrats say
- $1 billion annually to cover catastrophic prescription drug costs.
- A national plan covering 50 per cent of medically necessary prescription drug costs above $1,500 annually per person.
- Federal bulk purchasing of prescription drugs to lower costs for patients and employer benefit plans.