The Senate on Thursday night approved Bill C-64, the government’s long-awaited pharmacare legislation, marking what advocates are calling an important but incomplete step toward universal public drug coverage. Blacklock's Reporter says passed on a voice vote, the bill promises to fund diabetes and contraceptive medications and commits the government to work with provinces and territories on establishing a national pharmacare system, though no timeline has been set.Sen. Frances Lankin (Ont.), a former Ontario health minister, expressed cautious optimism about the legislation. “This is not a toe in the water,” she said. “This is jumping in off the end of the dock in cold water, not knowing exactly what you’re going to find beneath there.” While Lankin acknowledged that the bill does not deliver full universality, she emphasized that it was “an incredibly important first step.”Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare, allocates $1.9 billion over five years, according to a May 15 report from the Parliamentary Budget Office. It covers a limited range of drugs but outlines the government’s broader goal to implement national universal pharmacare in future stages.Critics of the bill, including Sen. Judith Seidman (Que.), Opposition Whip in the Senate, argued that the legislation lacks clarity and transparency. “This is a conceptual, so-called ‘universal program’ for the government to work toward,” said Seidman, describing the bill as providing only “fill-in-the-gap coverage” for certain medications. “Canadians deserve legislation that is transparent. Bill C-64 is not,” she added.Despite its limitations, supporters framed the bill as a necessary foundation for future progress. “Does Bill C-64 create a universal system? The short answer is no,” said Sen. Rosemary Moodie (Ont.), a paediatrician. “It is not everything I or many Canadians want it to be. However, I firmly believe it is a critical first step.”Sen. Flordeliz Osler (Man.), a surgeon and former Canadian Medical Association president, echoed this sentiment, stating the bill represents “approaching pharmacare in stages” and acknowledged that implementing a comprehensive system will take time. “Canada remains the only country in the world to offer universal health care without pharmacare,” she noted. “Bill C-64 aims to deliver that missing piece.”However, some senators voiced strong opposition. Sen. Clément Gignac (Que.), a former Québec economic development minister, argued the bill intrudes on provincial jurisdiction. Québec has operated its own pharmacare program since 1997. “I am entirely on board with helping those in need,” said Gignac, “but I cannot agree with the approach of this current government whose governance mirrors the NDP centralized vision of Canadian federalism.”The bill’s passage comes just before the Senate breaks for a week-long Thanksgiving recess. Its approval was a priority for the Liberal government, which sought to finalize the legislation ahead of any potential snap election or parliamentary prorogation.
