NDP leader says Liberals are being ‘dishonest’ about the future of pharmacare

By Canadian Press on December 2, 2025.

OTTAWA — The NDP’s interim leader says the Liberal government’s reaction to a report it commissioned on pharmacare is shockingly dismissive and deeply disappointing.

Don Davies was involved in negotiations on the Pharmacare Act last year, which was a key part of the supply-and-confidence deal between the NDP and the Liberals that supported the government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The law required the government to set up a committee of experts to recommend the best way to create a universal, single-payer pharmacare system.

That committee reported to Health Minister Marjorie Michel in October and called on Ottawa to fully fund a list of essential medicines that would cover more than 90 per cent of prescriptions Canadians need.

When asked if the government is planning to work toward that list, Michel told reporters last month the committee’s report is non-binding.

Davies says the government is being “politically dishonest” with Canadians and needs to be clear about whether it plans to expand pharmacare at all.