Jagmeet Singh’s pharmacare law delivers free medications for Manitobans

Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh issues the following statement:

"Congratulations to Manitoba families and Premier Wab Kinew’s government on signing a momentous deal with Ottawa to deliver free diabetes, birth control and menopause medications to Manitobans, making life healthier and more affordable.

This will be life-changing for hundreds of thousands of people, and I am deeply proud that New Democrats fought hard, and delivered on this promise. When Liberals and Conservatives sided with Big Pharma, we fought back to secure a single-payer, universal pharmacare program. We never forget what Jack Layton said: ‘Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.’

The federal government has the law and the funding in hand to sign 12 more provincial and territorial bilateral pharmacare agreements. Every day the Liberals drag their feet is another day that Canadians are pulling out their wallets and paying for prescriptions that the law says should be free now, or going without the medications they need.

We know more provincial governments are ready to get their pharmacare deals signed. We know families across the country have been ready for that relief for a long time. The Liberals should get the deals signed urgently – and the NDP will run to win to make sure deals are signed and pharmacare is expanded, not cut.

New Democrats are in it for you.”