After More Than 50 Years, Pharmacare (and Dental Care) are Coming to Canada

Abstract

In March 2022, the New Democratic Party (NDP), Canada's social democratic party, and the centrist Liberal government signed a supply and confidence agreement. In return for the NDP agreeing to vote with the government on all crucial issues until June 2025, the Liberals pledged to bring in both pharmacare and dental care programs. Pharmacare, universal public insurance coverage for prescription drugs, had been promised for more than 50 years but never implemented, while public dental care was an almost completely neglected issue. This article explains the long genesis of pharmacare, the need for public dental care, and the political circumstances that led to the agreement. However, at this point, details about both plans are largely absent. As a result, how well those plans will serve the needs of Canadians is yet to be determined.