CFNU President, Linda Silas, and NSNU President, Janet Hazelton, will attend Liberal convention to promote pharmacare for all
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, April 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At this weekend’s national convention, Liberal delegates will have the opportunity to vote on an historic resolution on universal pharmacare. Titled Implementing Universal Access to Necessary Medicines, the resolution calls for the expansion of the Canada Health Act to include all prescribed medications.
“I applaud the Liberal members and MPs who have championed this pharmacare resolution throughout the Liberal policymaking process,” said Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU). “I will be attending the Liberal convention as an observer to represent Canada’s nurses on this issue and to promote the successful adoption of this historic resolution on universal pharmacare, and I am proud that Janet Hazelton from the Nova Scotia Nurses Union will be joining me for this important event.”
For more than 20 years, Canada’s nurses have advocated for a national pharmacare plan for everyone in Canada. As front-line health care workers across the country, we know that a universal pharmacare plan will save and improve the lives of our patients. It will also save billions of health care dollars per year.
The Liberal resolution has the potential to build on growing momentum for pharmacare after this week’s unveiling of the parliamentary report, Pharmacare Now: Prescription Medicine Coverage for all Canadians. Following two years of exhaustive study and the testimony from 99 expert witnesses, the all-party and Liberal-led House of Commons Standing Committee on Health unveiled this landmark report recommending a public, single-payer and universal system of prescription drug coverage for Canada.
The CFNU is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization representing nearly 200,000 nurses and student nurses. The CFNU advocates on key health priorities, such as universal pharmacare, long-term and community care, health human resources, and federal engagement on the future of public health care.
For further information:
Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan, CFNU Government Relations Officer, (613) 513-7754, sebastian@nursesunions.ca