On November 14, 2024, the Government of Canada announced the establishment of a Committee of Experts as the next step in its implementation of a national pharmacare program.  The Committee is tasked with providing the Government with practical advice on the next phases of pharmacare.

Background

As we reported, on October 10, 2024, Bill C-64, An Act respecting pharmacare (the Pharmacare Act) received Royal Assent and came into force.  The Pharmacare Act sets out the “foundational principles” for the implementation of national universal drug coverage in Canada, including a specific commitment to provide coverage for contraceptives and diabetes medications (our report here).  The Government also intends to establish a fund to support access to diabetes devices and supplies (e.g., syringes and glucose test strips).

Royal Assent for the Pharmacare Act triggered certain deadlines set out in the Act.  For instance, no later than 30 days after Royal Assent, the Minister of Health (Minister) must establish a committee of experts “to make recommendations respecting options for the operation and financing of national, universal, single-payer pharmacare”.  The Committee must provide its recommendations to the Minister within a year of the Pharmacare Act receiving Royal Assent.

Committee of Experts  

The Committee of Experts appointed by the Government includes 5 members who are described as “a diverse group of individuals from different sectors, including policy experts, academics, and healthcare professionals”. The 5 members and links to their online profiles are as follows:

  • Dr. Nav Persaud (Chair) – Dr. Persaud is the Canada Research Chair in Health Justice; a Staff Physician in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto; and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.
  • Dr. Stéphane Ahern – Dr. Ahern is a past President of the Scientific Committee on the Evaluation of Drugs for Listing Purposes at  Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) and a member of CADTH’s pan-Canadian Advisory Panel on a Framework for a Prescription Drug List (our report here). Dr. Ahern is also an adult intensive care and general internal medicine specialist and the Co-Medical Director at CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Montréal.
  • Amy Lamb – Ms. Lamb is the Executive Director of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada and is a healthcare consultant and practicing pharmacist.
  • Dr. Steve Morgan – Dr. Morgan is a Professor at the University of British Columbia and an expert on pharmacare systems. He is the creator of the Pharmacare 2020 initiative.
  • Linda Silas – Ms. Silas is the President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and a registered nurse who has practiced in ICU, emergency, and labour and delivery.

According to the Government, over the next year, the Committee will offer advice and guidance on the path towards national pharmacare in Canada, including engaging with, and considering, perspectives from various stakeholders, including provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous groups, public and private drug plan administrators, patients, health care providers, industry, business, labour, and academics.

The Committee has been asked to provide a written report of its recommendations to the Minister by October 10, 2025.  The Minister would then table the Committee’s report in Parliament.