Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and city councillors unanimously adopted on Monday a resolution to endorse Bill C-213, the Canada Pharmacare Act.
The federal NDP bill is based on the principles of the Canada Health Act and follows recommendations of the government's own Hoskins' report.
https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/burnaby-backs-federal-ndps-pharmacare-bill-3299605
"The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on many inequalities in our society and the lack of prescription medications is definitely one of them,” said Hurley. “People should not have to make impossible choices every day because they cannot afford their prescribed medication. To that end, the City of Burnaby fully supports C-213.”
The bill has been put forward by New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian.
"More than 60 cities from across Canada have endorsed Bill C-213,” said Julian, in a statement. “We are urging all Canadians to contact their local elected officials and Members of Parliament to voice their support for this new ground-breaking federal legislation. We can ensure that everyone can afford the medication they need."
The second hour of debate on the bill and the first vote will be held in February 2021.
This legislation could be fully enacted in the coming months if Parliament votes yes. Once implemented, the NDP's pharmacare plan would be free for Canadians, make emergency wait times shorter, free-up more hospital beds for those who need them, and save Canadians more than $4.2 billion annually, said the NDP, adding it will also save families more than $500 a year on average, whether they have insurance or not, and save employers $600 a year per insured worker.
NDP Critic for Canadian Heritage Peter Julian issued the following statement:
"It has come to our attention that a consultant for a federally funded anti-racism project has a disturbing track record of spewing hate speech online against Jewish and francophone communities. This is completely unacceptable. We call on the Minister of Heritage to take drastic action and terminate his contract.
NDP Heritage Critic Peter Julian issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement by Hockey Canada is another attempt to delay the important and urgent work to deal with the toxic culture in this organization. While a former Supreme Court Justice is a credible appointment to conduct the review into Hockey Canada, this won’t be the first time the organization undergoes this process.
NDP critic for Canadian Heritage, Peter Julian, made the following statement:
“Canadians are horrified by the incidents of sexual assault and by what they’re hearing from Hockey Canada. They are left with many questions about how this toxic culture is allowed to persist in our sports organizations and what the government is actually doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again.