“Pill splitting should not happen in Canada,” MPs hear from public health care activists

More than 100 front-line health care workers and public health care advocates sent a strong message to MPs and Senators in Ottawa of all political stripes last week: support universal pharmacare and get profits out of health care.

With a pharmacare deal looming, lobbyists taking part in the Canadian Health Coalition’s Health and Hope Lobby on Parliament Hill from February 12-14 reaffirmed their aspirations for a national single-payer universal pharmacare program.

The lobby kicked off with a media conference in the Parliamentary Press Gallery on the morning of February 12 where Canadian Health Coalition Chair Pauline Worsfold, RN, told the media, “All nurses have stories. We have stories about patients cutting their pills in half to save money. Those patients end up in the emergency department a few weeks later when only half the medication is being taken and it’s not doing its job. We have patients and families that are choosing between does the parent get to fill the prescription that month or does the child.”

“A filled prescription means an empty seat in the emergency room,” said Worsfold.

Jing-Yi Ng, a clinical pharmacist from British Columbia, said, “A national pharmacare program promotes equity by ensuring that all Canadians regardless of income or location have equal access to necessary medications aligning with the principles of universal health care.”

Watch the media conference here –

Watch the Global News coverage here –

Later that day, lobby participants listened to the country’s foremost public health care experts and advocates at the Profitization of Care Panel, moderated by Anne Lagacé Dowson, Media Director of the Canadian Health Coalition.

Following  the panel, Yasir Naqvi, MP (Ottawa Centre), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, and Terry Sheehan, MP (Sault Ste. Marie), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour and Seniors provided remarks and answered questions from the audience. Lobbyists wanted to know what the MPs and Parliamentary Secretaries were going to do to defend public health care.

The first day ended with a lobby training by Steven Staples, the Canadian Health Coalition’s National Director of Policy and Advocacy, and Emily Watkins, Executive Assistant of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.

Day 2 was Hill Day when teams of four lobbyists descended on the offices of MPs and Senators to demand universal pharmcare and share their concerns with the enforcement of the Canada Health Act and the creeping privatization of health care. They demanded that federal health care dollars comes with strings attached to ensure the dollars are spent by the provinces in ways that improve patient outcomes. They demanded improved investigation and monitoring for prohibited practices such as user fees and extra billing.

A noon-hour Profit Doesn’t Care Rally on Parliament Hill energized the participants as they listened to representatives from unions, social justice groups and patients. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, NDP Health Critic Don Davies and NDP Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden attended the rally and also provided remarks. The Ottawa Raging Grannies ended the rally with one of their satirical songs poking fun at profits in health care.

Don Davies, NDP Health Critic, did this Tik Tok of he and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh joining the Canadian Health Coalition’s Profit Doesn’t Care Rally.

@dondaviesvkmp

Joined the Canadians Health Coalition #profitdoesntcare rally on Parliament Hill today with a clear message: our fight for public healthcare is non-negotiable; it’s the fairest, most efficient care. @NDP won’t accept any legislation that doesn’t build single-payer Pharmacare in Canada.

♬ original sound – Don Davies, MP

A favourite event of many lobbyists was the all-party reception with Greg Fergus, MP (Hull—Aylmer), Canada’s first Black Speaker of the House. The reception marked Black History Month and honoured the late Nell Toussaint, a Black champion for universal health care in the Speakers’ Lounge on Parliament Hill. Read more here.

Lobbyists ended their night at a reception at 3 Brasseurs where former Canadian Health Coalition National Director Mike McBane, whistleblower and former Canadian Health Coalition board member Michele Brill-Edwards, and NDP Vancouver Kingsway MP and Health Critic Don Davies and NDP Edmonton Griesbach MP Blake Desjarlais mingled with the crowd.

Day 3 had participants sharing the impressions and outcomes of their meetings with MPs and Senators, drawing connections between what was heard in meetings with certain political parties. Participants heard that NDP MPs were supportive of their demands while Liberal MPs were acting in deferential way like they had no power. Participants had more meetings with Conservative MPs this year, which participants linked to the upcoming election.

On the last day of the Lobby, Worsfold was in the Hill Times saying patients should not be treated like commodities and traded like hockey cards. She also explained to CPAC viewers why we want a universal single-payer pharmacare program that can be viewed here –

Tracy Glynn is the National Director of Projects and Operations for the Canadian Health Coalition