It was touted as a historic move that would change lives: in October 2024, Canada passed new legislation making all birth control free.
Justin Trudeau, then prime minister, called the bill’s passing “real progress”. The leftwing New Democratic party took credit, saying they had convinced Trudeau’s governing Liberals to move ahead with it. The bill didn’t just cover birth control: it made diabetes medication free, too, and ushered in a legal framework to possibly cover all prescription medication in the future: a national pharmacare plan.
