Canada’s parliament has passed a bill that that will cover the full cost of contraception and diabetes drugs for Canadians.
The Liberal government said it is the initial phase of a plan that would expand to become a publicly funded national pharmacare programme.
But two provinces - Alberta and Quebec - have indicated they may opt-out of the programme, accusing Ottawa of interfering in provincial matters.
Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party is ahead in national polls by a wide margin, does not support the legislation.
Again, I will repeat what every major health and diabetes org has to say on the matter: lifestyle will have the most impact on the course of this disease.
In fact, we know this to be true because of studies we have on twins… same genetics, different environments, one might develop the disease while the other does not.
My point is, it would be better for patients to get more support to better their environment and lifestyle, than simply providing insulin.
I say this as someone who’s lived with a chronic illness (autoimmune) for over a decade, so I’m not trying to sound holier than thou. It sucks to be sick, but I’d rather get support for things known to better my condition than things that don’t.