QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Pharmacare System
December 1, 2020
Honourable senators, today being World AIDS Day, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
In yesterday’s economic update, the Government of Canada reviewed the measures taken to create a national pharmacare program. Each province and territory has its own approach to covering the cost of treatment for HIV/AIDS patients, and there are many disparities.
COVID-19 has done a good job of reminding us that, absent a vaccine, the best solution is prevention. That’s one of the most effective weapons in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and, in this case, the best prevention is oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a pill that HIV-negative people take preventively to avoid getting HIV/AIDS.
At this time, will the Government of Canada commit to fighting this now 40-year-old epidemic by guaranteeing uniform coverage of the drugs needed to treat HIV/AIDS?
In other words, will the government commit to providing easy, free access to PrEP for all Canadians who need it, no matter where in the country they are?
Thank you for your question and for emphasizing the importance of this medication, which was developed for individuals at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and enables them to preventively reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
Since you gave notice of this question, I was able to contact the government and request information, but unfortunately I haven’t received an answer yet. Once I have the necessary information, I will inform the chamber.
