Ontario NDP pushes for province-wide drug coverage

QUEEN’S PARK — Today, Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions with responsibility for Primary Care, Robin Lennox (Hamilton Centre), introduced a motion calling on the Ontario government to expand the Ontario Drug Benefit and implement universal prescription medication coverage for all Ontarians—regardless of age, income, or employment status.

“Right now, too many people in Ontario are making impossible choices—between filling a prescription or paying rent, buying groceries or taking medication,” said Lennox. “Universal pharmacare is a practical, compassionate solution that would save lives and reduce costs across our entire healthcare system.”

Currently, the Ontario Drug Benefit program covers individuals under 25, over 65, or on social assistance. Millions of working Ontarians—especially those without private insurance—are left to shoulder the full cost of essential medications, often leading to skipped doses, delayed care, and preventable health crises.

Ontario also ranks among the top provinces with the highest drug deductibles. Under the Trillium Drug Program, residents must pay 4% of their household income before any coverage begins—an unmanageable threshold for many families during a cost-of-living crisis.

Speaking in support of the motion were Dr. Bernard Ho, Executive Vice Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare and an ER Physician in Toronto, and Ashley Fry-O’Rourke, a nurse and educator with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.

The NDP motion calls for Ontario to follow through on a long-standing public promise: to ensure no one is left behind simply because they can’t afford the medicine they need.