Universal Pharmacare for all Canadians

Canada is the only developed nation in the world with a universal health care program that does not include a universal prescription drug plan. Instead, Canada has a patchwork of providers, resulting in the second highest drug costs globally, right behind the United States.

Our spotty prescription coverage system is inefficient and expensive, with Canadians paying wildly different rates and receiving grossly inconsistent coverage. What’s worse is the more precariously employed you are, the less likely you are to have coverage. As many as 8.4 million Canadians have no prescription drug coverage at all, disproportionately affecting women and young workers.

Unifor has been successful in negotiating prescription drug coverage for many of our members, but there are still members who lack or have incomplete coverage.

A universal pharmacare is the unfinished business of our national healthcare system.

• Download our new pharmacare backgrounder
• Read the letter from Unifor President Jerry Dias
• Download the joint union- employer letter for employers to sign onto
• Get municipal motion passed at your city council
• Large pharmacare poster
• Lettersize pharmacare poster​

At the Canadian Council in August 2017, Unifor members voted overwhelmingly in support of a recommendation to participate in a national pharmacare campaign. See all of the recommendations here.