Gord Johns

“Mr. Speaker, my friend the member for Courtenay—Alberni has long been a strong advocate for better health outcomes in his community and across Canada, and I am honoured and fortunate to work with him in the House for the betterment of Canadian health outcomes. Those outcomes are possible thanks to our investments in health care, just as yesterday’s spring economic statement was our government’s next step in our plan to build a stronger, more independent and resilient Canada. We know that we are only stronger and more resilient if we have healthy Canadians, which is something I think everybody here agrees on. That is why our government came to office with the pledge to protect existing pharmacare agreements. We know the role that they play in keeping Canadians healthy. In fact, starting last month, my colleague’s constituents in British Columbia are seeing the effects of their province’s pharmacare agreements first-hand, since it came into effect on March 1. Thanks to this agreement, more Canadians have free and low-cost access to a range of contraceptives; Canadians living with diabetes can get essential, life-saving drugs for their condition; and Canadians are keeping more money in their pockets while improving their health outcomes. I know the member opposite would like us to go full speed ahead, but recent years have taught us that we need to be mindful of the broader context, both within Canada and beyond our borders, as we make decisions and as we consider the changing fiscal environment, how policy decisions in other countries impact our pharmaceutical supply and what we hear from our provincial and territorial partners. All of these things matter. For our part, our government will continue to control what we can. That means working closely with our health partners, including provinces, territories and indigenous people, to see how we can help them deliver health care for all Canadians. As we have always said, we cannot build Canada strong without healthy Canadians.”