Federal Minister of Health Mark Holland speaks to reporters in Halifax, on Jan. 30. 'This national pharmacare agreement with B.C. is a significant milestone in building a stronger public healthcare system for Canadians,' Mr. Holland said in a statement.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
British Columbia has formalized its pharmacare agreement with the federal government, making it the second province to sign on to a deal with Ottawa that will see coverage for diabetes medications and devices, as well as contraceptives.
The agreement, announced on Thursday by federal Health Minister Mark Holland and B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne, includes more than $670-million over four years.
The governments said B.C. residents can anticipate starting to receive coverage in March, 2026.
“This national pharmacare agreement with B.C. is a significant milestone in building a stronger public healthcare system for Canadians,” Mr. Holland said in a statement.
As part of the deal, B.C. plans to provide free public coverage of hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms.
Political observers see the agreement between B.C. and the federal government as significant because the race is on for Ottawa to secure agreements prior to a federal election campaign, which could happen as early as this month.
At the end of February, Manitoba became the first province to reach a formal bilateral pharmacare deal with Ottawa that will see more than $219-million given to the province over four years.
The bilateral agreements are designed to see the rollout of universal coverage for diabetes drugs, supplies and contraceptives.
It is not surprising that B.C. has signed on the dotted line. In September, 2024, a memorandum of understanding was signed between B.C. and the federal government that said after a pharmacare law was passed, the province would enter into formal discussions with Ottawa to implement universal, single-payer, first-dollar coverage for select contraception and diabetes medications.
Negotiations for bilateral pharmacare deals with provinces and territories have been taking place amid a backdrop of political uncertainty. In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was proroguing Parliament until March 24 and would resign after the Liberals elect a new leader.
The winner of the Liberal leadership race will be announced on Sunday. Opposition parties have said they plan to defeat the Liberals when the House of Commons returns at the end of the month.
Unlike the dissolution of Parliament, prorogation means that politicians, including ministers, maintain access to their rights and privileges.
After Mr. Trudeau prorogued Parliament, pharmacare proponents, including Dr. Eric Hoskins, the former chair of an advisory council on pharmacare, called on Mr. Holland to work quickly to secure bilateral deals. Dr. Hoskins said the chance for Ottawa to negotiate agreements with the provinces and territories may not exist after the next federal election.
In response to calls to ink the deals, Mr. Holland has said: “We are sprinting, not running.”
Conservatives did not support the Liberal government’s legislation on pharmacare, which received royal assent last October. During a debate last fall, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rejected a single-payer drug plan.
When the party was asked by The Globe and Mail in January if it would amend or repeal the pharmacare law if the Conservatives form government, the party’s health critic Stephen Ellis called the Liberal government’s plan “expensive.” He also said it could “jeopardize coverage” plans in place for 21 million Canadians. Mr. Holland has refuted this claim.
The existing pharmacare law is the result of protracted negotiations between the federal Liberals and the New Democrats as part of a former supply-and-confidence agreement. The deal was in place for 2½ years and saw the parties work together on key priorities, including pharmacare.
The arrangement between the two parties afforded the Liberals the support they needed to stay in power in a minority Parliament. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, however, decided to walk away from the agreement last September.
Last November, Mr. Holland established a committee that has been tapped to recommend options on how to operate and fund a universal pharmacare program and to provide a written report by October.