Let’s align on health care, not just trade

By Lethbridge Herald on August 22, 2025.

Kathleen Barnard and Louise Binder
Quoi Media

We can borrow a line from Charles Dickens to describe our current sate of politics in this country: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ The ‘worst of times’ describes well the international trade turmoil caused by U.S. President Trump’s fluctuating tariffs and erratic dealmaking with significant implications for our economy. What is less frequently discussed is ‘the best of times’ impact that has had creating unity among Canadian Premiers and the federal government which has not been seen for decades.

Pan-Canadian trade barriers are falling, and interprovincial project ideas abound. This is good news for Canada, even as a possible trade deal with the United States wends ever closer.

As patient-partners in health research, and part of a non-profit organization that helps cancer patients receive essential treatments, the question we have is this: if we can find equal footing among the provinces and territories on trade, why can’t we do so on healthcare? Why can’t we streamline access to medically necessary treatment for patients across the country who are badly in need of them?

For many, this is a matter of life or death.

At the moment, each provincial and territorial government makes its own decision about what drugs it wishes to reimburse for eligible people and under what conditions. There are many instances across the country where our governments decide not to reimburse people for their essential medications at all and then the person must find the money to pay for the drug on their own.

This includes cancer treatments.

Sometimes this means that people have to go without necessary drugs or necessary food. This is the ‘choice’ our so-often-called ‘patchwork quilt’ of coverage sometimes provides.

The federal government also has its own drugs plans for groups under its jurisdiction — and recently, for contraceptives and diabetes drugs through the 2024 Pharmacare Act (in provinces that have finalized their agreements with the federal government).

Now that we have decided to become ‘Team Canada’ on trade, there is no reason not to extend this to drug access.

During his election campaign, Prime Minister Carney talked about “Canada Strong,” his plan to unite, secure, protect and build Canada, including comprehensive measures to build and protect our healthcare system. He talked about adding doctors, building hospitals and delivering better mental health services. He said we would build a stronger healthcare system.

A stronger health care system includes ensuring that people in Canada have equal access to medically necessary services, and that the coverage is portable across the country. These are among the very five key principles underpinning the Canada Health Act.

Provinces are already on board for getting people medically necessary treatments. In their recent July 23rd press conference, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who is the Chair of the Council of the Federation, comprising all provincial and territorial Premiers, stated that one of their aims was to accelerate getting life saving medications to people who need them.

So if every level of government supports the need for medically necessary services, and drug treatments should surely fit into that category, as the Premiers have recently indicated with this statement, why are we not tearing down the barriers to our patchwork quilt of public drug reimbursement plans?

Where you live in the country should not determine whether or not you receive essential medications.  Access to healthcare in Canada — including life-saving medications — should be seamless across provincial and territorial borders.

Coming together to do this is not only the right thing to do for patients, but it is also a boon to the economy, getting people healthy and contributing in the ways each can for our society.

So, we ask Prime Minister Carney and the Council of the Federation: if we can find practical solutions to remove trade barriers that are bad for our economy, across the country, why can’t we find a practical solution to the barrier of unequal access to medically necessary treatments across this country, too?

Kathleen Barnard is the Founder & President of Save Your Skin Foundation. Louise Binder is the health policy consultant for Save Your Skin Foundation.

©Quoi Media