Only one-in-four Canadians believe the Conservatives should cancel the national program if they form the next government.
Vancouver, BC [March 6, 2024] – Two thirds of Canadians appear satisfied with a recent announcement related to pharmacare, but perceptions differ on the ultimate reach of the national program, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the final weekend of February, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh announced that a deal had been reached with the governing Liberal Party to establish a national pharmacare program.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 67% of Canadians welcome the establishment of a national pharmacare program, while 20% disagree and 13% are undecided.
“More than two thirds of British Columbians (72%), Atlantic Canadians (69%) and Ontarians (also 69%) are happy with the recent pharmacare announcement,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Majorities of Canadians who reside in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (66%), Alberta (65%) and Quebec (62%) share the same view.”
Fewer than three-in-ten Canadians (27%) believe their province should opt-out of the national pharmacare program.
In Quebec and Alberta, two provinces in which the sitting premiers have signaled their intention to opt-out of the national pharmacare program, about half of respondents (48% and 54% respectively) disagree with this course of action.
Fewer than half of Canadians (46%) say they trust the current Liberal government to roll out the national pharmacare program, while 42% do not and 12% are not sure.
Confidence in the current federal administration to manage this program reaches 49% among Canadians aged 18-to-34, but drops to 45% among those aged 35 to 54 and those aged 55 and over.
Only 25% of Canadians believe that the Conservative Party should cancel the national pharmacare program if they form the government after the next federal election.
More than two thirds of Canadians who voted for the Liberals (68%) or the NDP (67%) in the 2021 federal election disagree with the eventual abandonment of the national pharmacare program, along with 44% of those who cast ballots for the Conservatives.
Sizeable majorities of Canadians believe insulin for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes (85%) and contraceptives and birth control (71%) should “definitely” or “probably” be included in the national pharmacare program.
More than three-in-five Canadians think six other types of medication should also be covered by the national pharmacare program: blood pressure medication (84%), antibiotics (82%), cholesterol lowering medication (77%), antidepressants (73%), anticoagulants (68%) and pain relievers (65%).
Fewer than half of Canadians would add nutritional supplements (47%) and vitamins (also 47%) to the list of substances that should be included in the national pharmacare program.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from February 25 to February 27, 2024, among 1,001 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca