Mother-daughter NDP MPs cheer drug coverage for birth control: ‘Huge win’

For the Mathyssens, the federal government’s first move toward national pharmacy is personal.

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Former New Democrat London-Fanshawe MP Irene Mathyssen and her daughter Lindsay Mathyssen, elected to the east London seat in 2019 after her mom declined to seek re-election, have been pushing for government coverage for prescription birth control for years.

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After unsuccessful motions by both in the House of Commons to get contraceptives covered, both are delighted to see the pharmacare program begin with the critical drugs.

“This is a huge win for a lot of Canadians,” Lindsay Mathyssen said in an interview. “It doesn’t make sense that you’re able to go to the doctor for free, but when the doctor prescribes you drugs you need that it’s not also covered.”

Canada’s health minister last week tabled a bill that pave the way for a universal drug program, allowing Ottawa to negotiate with provinces to cover birth control, along with diabetes drugs and supplies, for anyone with a health card.

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Health Minister Mark Holland called the initiative a “proof-of-concept opportunity” to offer two drugs on a “universal, single-payer model.” The government will be evaluating the program’s effectiveness and will be assembling an expert panel to make recommendations on what the program should look like and how it should be paid for in the future.

The Liberal minority government has relied on a supply and confidence agreement with the 25-member New Democrat caucus to stay in power. Pharmacare has been a central pillar of the political pact between the two parties.

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Universal drug coverage has long been a goal of the NDP, Lindsay Mathyssen said, adding last week’s announcement is a direct result of the party’s persistent negotiations with the governing Liberals.

Clinching government funding for birth control has been on the radar of both Mathyssens for years.

About a year after her successful motion to remove the GST from menstrual products, Irene Mathyssen introduced another motion in June 2016 calling on the federal government to cover the cost of prescribed birth control. That motion did not proceed to debate or a vote.

When she left politics in 2019, her daughter Lindsay later winning for the NDP in the riding, Irene Mathyssen said it was a bit of a disappointment not to see universal pharmaceuticals emerge during her four terms in the House of Commons.

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“We fought so hard at every step, but I was most fortunate. I had someone I absolutely trusted taking my spot and I knew that she would be a firecracker in the House of Commons and she would be part of the progressive things we wanted to see,” she said.

Lindsay Mathyssen introduced a similar motion to her mother’s in November 2023, urging several federal government actions to improve reproductive health, including increasing transfer payments to provinces to cover the cost of prescription birth control.

“When I got to tell my mom about it, she was just so proud because it’s what women need,” Lindsay Mathyssen said, adding the latest pharmacy deal has made her motion unnecessary.

The cost of the federal government’s contraceptive and diabetes coverage program is likely to be about $1.5 billion, an estimate that is likely to change as negotiations with the provinces unfold.

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Holland last week made clear there is still a long way to go before all drugs in Canada are covered under a federal program.

Some provinces, including Ontario and British Columbia, already provide coverage for prescription birth control through their publicly funded health systems.

In addition to Ontario Works and disability support programs, which provide coverage for prescription birth control and other drugs, Ontario’s public health insurance program already covers the cost of the drugs for adults 25 and younger. Other provincial programs, including the Trillium Drug Program, cover the cost of diabetes medication for Ontarians who qualify.

– with files by the Canadian Press

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