Pharmacare is a Canadian proposal for a publicly funded insurance program for medications, similar to Medicare for health insurance. Limited pharmacare programs exist in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia. Multiple organizers and commenters have advocated a pan-Canadian pharmacare program to complement the existing health system, but the precise model for implementation is unclear.
In 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to implement pharmacare if re-elected. In February 2024, the NDP and Liberals reached an agreement on proposed draft legislation for a pharmacare program. The proposed program would create a single-payer system to cover expenses for contraceptives and diabetes medication in the first phase, with a designated budget of $1.5 billion. Subsequent phases would develop a national formulary and national purchasing plan, at an estimated cost of $38.9 billion for the 2027/28 fiscal year. The government tabled Bill C-64 titled An Act respecting pharmacare in 2024, which passed on October 10, 2024. The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) was revamped into Canada's Drug Agency, tasked with creating a formulary and a national purchasing plan.
