Gord Johns

“The government promised free diabetes medicine and birth control for all Canadians, but only four provinces and territories have deals. Most Canadians are still left out. The government needs to make deals with the other provinces so everyone can get the medicine they need.”

“Mr. Speaker, just like last week, and just like the week before, I am here tonight to drag the government in here to hold it to account and to ensure that it protects and enhances our public health care system and follows through with its promises. I will just serve notice that I will be dragging the government back in here again next week if it does not take some action. No one in Canada, not our kids, parents or grandparents, should have to worry about the cost of medication they need to stay healthy, but that is exactly what is happening today. Canadians were promised the beginning of a national pharmacare program. We actually voted on it. They were promised a single-payer system that serves people, not a patchwork system that leaves millions behind. The promise was that we were going to start with universal free access to diabetes medicine and birth control. It was highly celebrated by the Liberals. Right now, only three provinces and one territory are covered. That is about 17% of Canadians. More than four out of five Canadians cannot access the federal pharmacare plan today. This means access to life-saving diabetes medicine or birth control coverage depends on where someone lives. It depends on their postal code. While I hate to do this, I must mention that this inaction comes while many Liberal MPs are bragging about a national pharmacare program that their own constituents cannot even access. In Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, the provincial health minister said that the federal Liberal government has closed the door on negotiations. Meanwhile, the Liberal MP for Labrador defends pharmacare as putting money back in Canadians’ pockets. On Prince Edward Island, the federal government has moved slowly, and its provincial health minister says that the federal government has told them that pharmacare funds will expire in 2029 and will not be renewed. Meanwhile, the member for Cardigan claimed that pharmacare is a key program for all Canadians. Nova Scotia is ready to negotiate, but it is still waiting for an invitation. Meanwhile, the member for Cumberland—Colchester described pharmacare as an essential service that Liberals will continue to protect. Their premier says he cannot even get a meeting to negotiate a deal. These provinces want in. They are ready to work, but they are being shut out while these Liberals pat themselves on the back. That is not nation building. The Prime Minister was just on CBC two days ago touting his commitment to pharmacare. Even today in question period, he rightly criticised the Conservatives for voting against pharmacare, but only three provinces and one territory actually have an agreement. Yesterday we saw that, in the spring economic update, the word pharmacare is mentioned only once. It signals that the Liberals are walking away from their commitment to the national pharmacare plan they ran on during the last election. This has real consequences. People are skipping prescriptions. They are cutting pills in half. They are choosing between paying rent and filling a prescription. In a country as wealthy as Canada, this should never happen. This is not what Canadians were promised, like I said in the last election. New Democrats in the House and across Canada are fighting to ensure Canadians can access the medicine they need while the Liberals continue to delay and side with powerful industry interests. In B.C., pharmacare coverage began on March 1 because the B.C. NDP government pushed for it and the provincial health minister Josie Osborne acted quickly. She signed a deal. Families in B.C. are getting that relief, but families in the rest of the country are still waiting. They are waiting because the federal government is refusing to negotiate. A truly national pharmacare program would guarantee the security Canadians need at a time of economic uncertainty. If the Liberals fail to meet their commitment, they are going to have to explain to Canadians why they are breaking yet another promise. The question is simple: Will the government reopen negotiations with provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia? Will it commit to expanding pharmacare to every province and territory that wants in, or will it continue down this path where access depends on one’s postal code or where one lives? Canadians deserve better than this patchwork.”

“The government is ending special contracts for an organization that hires veterans. This puts their jobs at risk. I want the minister to explain why she did this without talking to them, and I want her to reverse the decision.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government’s decision to end the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires’ preferential contracting threatens jobs for veterans who rely on it for stable work after service, while potentially shifting contracts to for-profit firms. For decades, Commissionaires has supported their transition from serving our nation in the Canadian Armed Forces or the RCMP with dignity. Why is the Minister of Veterans Affairs moving ahead without any consultation with the commissionaires, and will she instead reverse these arbitrary procurement changes before veterans pay the price?”

“The government says its medicine plan is for all Canadians, but it is leaving out provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador. Where people live should not decide if they get medicine. I want to know why the government is leaving these places out.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister cannot go on TV one day and claim that pharmacare is a nation-building program for all Canadians, and the next day allow entire provinces to be excluded. Newfoundland and Labrador’s health minister says that the federal government has closed the door on negotiations. Right now, where one lives determines whether one can access essential medications. People are being left out altogether. That is not a national program. It is patchwork. Why is this government abandoning Newfoundland and Labrador and so many other provinces and territories while claiming that pharmacare is for all Canadians?”

“Big corporations and foreign buyers are pushing local fishers out of business on the west coast. The east coast protects independent fishers, but the west coast does not. I want the government to protect local west coast fishers, make fish quota ownership public, and stop foreign and corporate ownership.”

“Mr. Speaker, on the west coast, commercial fish harvesters, the people actually doing the fishing, are being pushed out. Corporate concentration and growing foreign ownership of licences and quota are driving up costs and draining wealth out of coastal communities. We do not even know who owns much of this quota because there is no public registry. Meanwhile, on the east coast, an owner-operator model protects independent fish harvesters and keeps the value in local communities. It is like we are living in two different countries. When will the Liberals fix this and bring in a west coast owner-operator model, increase transparency and stop foreign and corporate ownership of our fisheries?”