OTTAWA, [14 April 2025] – Health advocates are sounding the alarm after the federal debate consortium cut health care from the upcoming leaders’ debate, calling it a “dangerous disservice” to Canadians in the midst of a worsening crisis.
With emergency rooms closing, workers burning out, and U.S.-style privatization creeping in, the omission of health care from the national debate stage has left advocates and patients reeling.
“Health care is consistently one of the top issues for voters,” said Frédérique Chabot, Executive Director of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. “Cutting it from the debate sends a clear message: Canadians’ most urgent concerns are being ignored.”
This morning, Chabot joined a coalition of healthcare advocates at a press conference in Ottawa to call on all parties to present bold, concrete plans to protect and expand public health care – including a firm commitment to pharmacare.
The timing is especially critical. As Canadians head to the polls, Pharmacare—Canada’s most significant expansion of public health care in a generation—is at risk. Free contraception for all Canadians, and the framework for all essential medicine being accessible to all, is within reach, but without political leadership, that progress could stall. A national debate without healthcare ignores the very system Canadians are most proud of—and most concerned about. It also gives political leaders a free pass to say nothing about one of the most urgent issues facing our country.
Pharmacare is supported by 8 in 10 Canadians across regions and political stripes. But despite that overwhelming support, the future of free medication in Canada remains uncertain. By the time the election was called, only three provinces and one territory had signed on with the federal government—leaving most Canadians unprotected. As pharmaceutical tariffs loom and job losses threaten extended benefits, advocates warn that access to medication is becoming a national emergency.
Programs like universal Pharmacare provides solutions to pocketbook issues and helps build a society that can weather crises. These programs help people afford the medications they need, offer major economic returns, and reflect a different vision for how we respond to crisis. One where tough times lead to bold investments in care, not cuts. One where no one is left behind.
“We have the opportunity to ensure that no family has to choose between paying for groceries and paying for medication,” says Chabot. “This isn’t just a health issue—it’s an economic one. Pharmacare is essential infrastructure. If we want a resilient, equitable Canada, we have to double down—not back down—on these investments.”
The choices our leaders make today will shape the Canada of tomorrow. It’s time to raise our voices, demand real commitments from party leaders on health care, including sexual and reproductive health care, for a future where we all thrive.
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Quinn Lazenby
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
media@actioncanadashr.org
613-241-4474 x 13200