Establish regulations under the Canada Health Act governing accessibility for sexual and reproductive health services so there is no question, that no matter where someone lives, that they have access to publicly available sexual and reproductive health services. Failure on the part of a province to meet this standard would result in an automatic penalty applied against federal health transfers.

Provide up to $10 million to Health Canada to develop an easily accessible portal that provides accurate, judgement-free, and evidence-based information on sexual and reproductive health and rights, which will include a section that counters misinformation about abortion.

Provide up to $10 million over 3 years to youth-led grassroots organizations that respond to the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of young people.

No longer provide charity status to anti-abortion organizations (for example, Crisis Pregnancy Centres) that provide dishonest counseling to women about their rights and about the options available to them at all stages of the pregnancy.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Negotiate the Canada Health Accord to prioritize mental health and rehabilitation services, access to safe abortion services and access to gender-affirming health services such as hormones, blockers, and surgery.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

Oppose any possible government move to diminish access to safe, legal abortion.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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Provide a $100 million top-up to the Safe Return to Class Fund for ventilation improvement projects across Canada, as well as $10 million for First Nations to improve indoor air quality in on-reserve schools.

Provide $100 million to the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative with $70 million of this funding directed to a new pillar focused on increasing air quality and indoor ventilation.

Introduce a tax credit for small businesses to make it easier for them to invest in better ventilation.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Require that travellers on interprovincial trains, commercial flights, cruise ships, and other federally regulated vessels be vaccinated.

Ensure vaccination across the federal public service. As the country’s largest employer, this will protect the health and safety of the federal public servants and their communities, across Canada.

We will also keep working with employers in Crown corporations and federally regulated workplaces to ensure vaccination is prioritized for workers in these sectors.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Launch a $1 billion COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination Fund to support provinces and territories who implement a requirement for proof of vaccine credentials in their jurisdiction for non-essential businesses and public spaces.

Table legislation to ensure that every business and organization that decides to require a proof of vaccination from employees and customers can do so without fear of a legal challenge.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Procure enough vaccines to ensure all Canadians have access to free COVID-19 booster shots and second-generation vaccines as needed.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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We know now that good oral health is a critical component of overall good health – and that means our health care system should cover it, too. A New Democrat government will work together with provincial partners, health professionals and dentists to develop a roadmap to incorporate universal dental care into Canada’s public health care system, and immediately deliver dental care coverage for people who don’t have any private insurance.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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Invest $100 million to study the long-term health impacts of COVID-19, including the effects of “long-COVID” on different groups, including vulnerable populations and children.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed serious weaknesses in Canada’s pandemic preparedness and response capacities. New Democrats will strengthen these system so that Canada is never again unprepared and left behind in a global pandemic. We believe the government should immediately take a leadership role in a federal vaccination strategy to ensure all Canadians can be vaccinated. Moving forward, we’ll provide stable, long-term funding for the Public Health Agency of Canada so they can protect public health and be ready with surge capacity in the event of a crisis.

Canada needs to have the capacity to produce vaccines for public health emergences, a capacity that we lost under Liberal and Conservative governments. New Democrats will establish a crown corporation charged with domestic vaccine production so that Canadians are never again at the back of the line.

To protect medical personnel, patients and essential workers, we’ll ensure that Canada maintains an adequate and responsibly- managed stockpile of personal protective equipment, with an emphasis on supporting domestic production.

During a crisis, it’s more important than ever that Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer be able to speak freely about public health issues to Canadians without the fear of political retribution. We’ll ensure that their independence is protected by law, and require the Chief Public Health Officer to report to parliament annually about recommendations to improve Canada’s public health emergency preparedness.

Finally, Canada is a leader in innovative health research, a field that is more important than ever. We will work with universities and health professionals to make sure that public research on critical health issues continues to flourish. New Democrats will reverse the Liberals’ reckless move to weaken the Global Public Health Intelligence Network, which provides surveillance and early warnings that are critical for managing international public health emergencies like pandemics. The federal government must also step up and regulate natural health products under stand-alone legislation.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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● Order a public inquiry that evaluates the joint response between all levels of government with the purpose of examining what went well and what could have been done better.

● Create an intergovernmental rapid response task force, which can be activated immediately when facing an emergency.

● Ensure that Canada has a robust capacity for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

● Ensure that Canada has a sufficient PPE stockpile by increasing domestic production.

● Dedicate specific funding to strengthening the integration of public health with community-based primary care as the first access point of the health care system

● Lessen Canada’s overall dependence on global supply chains for essential goods and services.

● Strengthen the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) to flag potential public health concerns around the globe.

● Prepare for future pandemics by investing in and restructuring our health care and long-term care systems.

● Provide the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) with long-term funding to protect public health and to be ready with surge capacity in the event of a crisis.

● Invest in research and production of vaccines and therapeutics to improve Canada’s ability to domestically source vaccines and medical treatments.

● Commit to being guided by the recommendations of the relevant scientists and experts in formulating emergency response strategies.

● Accelerate Canada's move towards a net-zero emissions green economy in order to help limit further global warming and the intensification of extreme weather and climate events that such warming will provoke.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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1. Expand the Canada Health Act.

● Expand the single-payer Medicare model to include Pharmacare for everyone.

● Create a bulk drug purchasing agency and reduce drug patent protection periods.

● Expand the single-payer Medicare model to include long-term care and enhanced mental health services.

● Expand the single-payer Medicare model to include free basic dental care for all Canadians.

2. Restore the Canada Health Accord.

● Increase health transfers by basing them on demographics and real health care needs in each province, replacing the current formula based on GDP growth introduced by the Harper government and retained by the Liberals.

● Negotiate the Canada Health Accord to prioritize mental health and rehabilitation services, access to safe abortion services and access to gender-affirming health services such as hormones, blockers, and surgery.

● Reduce wait times, which are a foundational issue of accessibility in the health care system, particularly in the case of primary care. Support family doctors and interprofessional teams to reduce wait times and enhance the accessibility of the care they provide to communities across Canada.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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Expand the number of family doctors and primary health teams in rural communities, by increasing by 50% (from $40,000 up to $60,000 over 5 years), the maximum debt relief that family doctors, residents in family medicine, nurse practitioners, or nurses are eligible for the under Canada Student Loans forgiveness program.

Expand the list of professionals eligible for forgiveness to include dentists, pharmacists, dental hygienists, midwives, social workers, psychologists, teachers, and early childhood educators so that rural communities have greater access to the full suite of health and social service providers they need.

Offer health care professionals, who are just starting out in their careers, a one-time income tax deduction of up to $15,000 over their first 3 years of practice to help with the costs of setting up a practice.

Undertake a review to ensure that communities that are indeed rural are fully eligible under the program.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Strengthen federal powers under the Canada Health Act and the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to deduct health transfers from provinces who enable extra billing for publicly insured services, in order to protect the integrity of our universal public health care system.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Expand the number of family doctors and primary health teams in rural communities.

Work to give rural communities greater access to a full suite of health and social services professionals, including dentists, pharmacists, dental hygienists, midwives, social workers, psychologists, teachers, and early childhood educators.

Help health care professionals set up new practices.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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A New Democrat government will work with the provinces and territories to tackle wait times and improve access to primary care across the country – and we’ll work with the provinces to develop public infrastructure for secure, accessible virtual healthcare. We will identify coming gaps in health human resources and make a plan to recruit and retain the doctors, nurses and other health professionals Canadians need. New Democrats will also work with the provinces and territories to expand and improve access to palliative care across the country.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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New Democrats believe that we must do better. Just as our party led the fight to establish universal public health care for all Canadians, we are leading the fight to expand Medicare – to include quality prescription drug coverage for everyone, regardless of your job, where you live, your age, your health status or how much money you make. We will begin working with the provinces right away to target a 2022 start date, with an annual federal investment of $10 billion.

This will go hand in hand with developing a national strategy to cover drugs for rare diseases, so that coverage is no longer determined by where you live or what private insurance your family has, as is currently the case.

A national pharmacare program means access to necessary medicines and medical devices in the same way that we currently have access to medical and hospital care – free at the point of care, financed by a public insurance system that covers everyone. It means that you’ll need your health card – not your credit card – at the pharmacy till. And it puts an end to costly co-payments, deductibles and premiums that cost families hundreds and even thousands a year.

Making prescription drugs more affordable saves everyone money. Seniors, families and young people get a break. Small businesses who want to provide coverage for drug costs are able to do it. Negotiating prices with big pharmaceutical companies brings down prices for everyone – saving money in our health care system that can be used to improve care.

Our plan will guarantee that every Canadian can get the medication they need. And it will mean big savings for employers who currently pay for employee benefits, helping to reward good employers and boost economic growth. It will also cost our system less overall, as a result of pooling the purchasing power of the entire country – freeing up much-needed funds for the provinces to re-invest in improving healthcare.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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1. Expand the Canada Health Act by fully funding a universal pharmacare program

● Ensure quality prescription drug coverage for everyone in Canada, so that no Canadian skips, stretches or simply does not take their medication because they cannot afford it.

2. Create a bulk drug purchasing agency and reduce drug patent protection periods.

● Ensure that everyone in Canada is able to access affordable medication more quickly and equitably.

3. Establish a clear timeline for the implementation of universal pharmacare

● Fully establish the Canadian Drug Agency in 2022, which would assess prescription drugs and negotiate prices for a national formulary.

● Introduce federal legislation on pharmacare in 2022, based on negotiations with the provincial and territorial governments.

● Launch national pharmacare in 2022 by providing universal coverage for a list of essential medicines.

● Roll out a comprehensive formulary by January 1, 2025, instead of 2027.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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Order a public inquiry that evaluates the joint response between all levels of government with the purpose of examining what went well and what could have been done better.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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