Will Carney commit to future pharmacare deals with willing provinces and territories?

Answering a reporter’s question today asking whether he would expand pharmacare to include new classes of prescription medicine beyond contraceptives and diabetes treatments, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he is, “committed to keeping what is in place.” 

Responding to Carney, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said that his party would expand pharmacare to include more prescription medications. “Mark Carney refused to commit to expanding pharmacare at the same time he is promising a $17 billion tax cut that only helps millionaires and billionaires,” he said in a statement. “That’s wrong.”

Former Health Minister Mark Holland signed pharmacare agreements with four jurisdictions: Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon. 

The Canadian Health Coalition is asking Liberal leader Mark Carney to clarify whether he will commit to expanding the current program by negotiating pharmacare agreements with additional willing provinces and territories, if his party should form the next government. 

On March 22, the day before the general election was called, Health Minister Kamal Khera told the Hill Times that a re-elected Liberal government would work to get on board the nine provinces and territories that have not signed pharmacare bilateral agreements. 

“Millions of Canadians, many of whom are struggling financially, are waiting to be included in this historic expansion of public health care,” said Steven Staples, National Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Canadian Health Coalition. “We cannot risk creating an unfair patchwork where some Canadians benefit from publicly-funded prescription medications, and others are forced to bear the expense on their own.” 

Canada’s national universal pharmacare program, supported by the Liberals and the NDP, was enacted by Bill C-64 in October, and was funded through Budget 2024 with $1.5 billion over five years, starting in 2024-25. The program was welcomed by a wide array of organizations, including members of the Canadian Health Coalition. 

This article was updated on April 2, 2025 to include the NDP’s response