BC Election 2009
Candidate Responses
May 10, 2009
Dear Pamela,
Thank you for this. Lana also wanted me to know that she appreciates the coalition's input and contributions.
Kind regards,
Samuel.
Samuel Godfrey
Campaign Office Manager
Lana Popham for Saanich South
4087 Quadra St. Victoria BC V8X 1K7
May 10, 2009
Dear Pamela:
Thank you for your email. I have worked in health care for many years, and it is so heartbreaking to hear that a patient is not taking their medications, because they can't afford to pay for them! Thank you so much for the valuable work that you do in our communities. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I look forward to working with you in the future.
Mo Norton
Your NDP Candidate
North Vancouver - Seymour.
Dear Better Pharmacare Coalition,
Thank you for your open letter to the New Democratic Party regarding your views on how the BC Pharmacare program can best serve British Columbians.
The NDP started the Pharmacare program in 1973 and improved it over time to ensure its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. During our time in Opposition, we have regularly worked with patients, their families and organizations to get specific drugs and treatments to those who need them through public discussion and advocacy.
The NDP supports getting drugs to people in the safest and fastest way possible. We support improvements to the drug approval process that will enhance transparency, accountability, clarify the roles of advice and decision-making bodies, include public members, and improve the timeliness of approvals. We further support maximizing the value for patients in procurement policies and will develop strategies to achieve this. The NDP has been very concerned that British Columbia's families and seniors have been paying more out of pocket for healthcare and prescription drugs. According to Statistics Canada, the cost for private supplementary coverage for prescription drugs and the now-de-listed rehab, eye care and podiatry services, increased from $256 per household in 1997 to more than $480 today. These are significant increased costs, particularly when you compare them with the average wage increases in Canada, which were about 2.3% per year during the same period.
The BC Liberal government's decision to move away from universal drug coverage for seniors was clearly wrong and is forcing seniors and other British Columbians to make difficult choices. New Democrats strenuously opposed this policy change and as resources permit, a New Democrat government will work to improve the situation.
A New Democrat government will also work with other provinces and territories and cooperate with the federal government in establishing a Canada-wide prescription drug program, phasing in drug coverage for all citizens, beginning with catastrophic drug costs. The national program would reduce the cost of prescription drugs for average Canadians and save billions of dollars from provincial health care budgets by implementing a bulk-purchasing plan.
Since its inception in 2007, the NDP has consistently raised concerns about the composition of the government's pharmaceutical task force. We do not believe that the development of public policy should be dominated by an industry that has not always acted in the public interest. This should in no way be misinterpreted to suggest we are against improving the timeliness of drug approvals. In fact our commitment to add resources to the independent evaluation process confirms just the opposite. Our platform commits to increase the budget for the Therapeutics Initiative by 50% annually and enshrine the funding through legislation to enhance its independence and timeliness. This builds upon the recommendations of an independent academic committee commissioned by the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine to examine the effectiveness of the Initiative. The BC NDP is committed to working with patients, health professionals, independent experts, and industry to continually improve B.C.'s Pharmacare program.
Thank you for this opportunity to discuss these issues with your organization.
Sincerely,
BC's New Democrats
Election 2009
May 10, 2009
Dear Better Pharmacare Coalition,
Thank you for your open letter to the New Democratic Party regarding your views on how the BC Pharmacare program can best serve British Columbians.
The NDP started the Pharmacare program in 1973 and improved it over time to ensure its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. During our time in Opposition, we have regularly worked with patients, their families and organizations to get specific drugs and treatments to those who need them through public discussion and advocacy.
The NDP supports getting drugs to people in the safest and fastest way possible. We support improvements to the drug approval process that will enhance transparency, accountability, clarify the roles of advice and decision-making bodies, include public members, and improve the timeliness of approvals. We further support maximizing the value for patients in procurement policies and will develop strategies to achieve this.
The NDP has been very concerned that British Columbia?s families and seniors have been paying more out of pocket for healthcare and prescription drugs. According to Statistics Canada, the cost for private supplementary coverage for prescription drugs and the now-de-listed rehab, eye care and podiatry services, increased from $256 per household in 1997 to more than $480 today. These are significant increased costs, particularly when you compare them with the average wage increases in Canada, which were about 2.3% per year during the same period.
The BC Liberal government?s decision to move away from universal drug coverage for seniors was clearly wrong and is forcing seniors and other British Columbians to make difficult choices. New Democrats strenuously opposed this policy change and as resources permit, a New Democrat government will work to improve the situation.
A New Democrat government will also work with other provinces and territories and cooperate with the federal government in establishing a Canada-wide prescription drug program, phasing in drug coverage for all citizens, beginning with catastrophic drug costs. The national program would reduce the cost of prescription drugs for average Canadians and save billions of dollars from provincial health care budgets by implementing a bulk-purchasing plan.
Since its inception in 2007, the NDP has consistently raised concerns about the composition of the government?s pharmaceutical task force. We do not believe that the development of public policy should be dominated by an industry that has not always acted in the public interest. This should in no way be misinterpreted to suggest we are against improving the timeliness of drug approvals. In fact our commitment to add resources to the independent evaluation process confirms just the opposite. Our platform commits to increase the budget for the Therapeutics Initiative by 50% annually and enshrine the funding through legislation to enhance its independence and timeliness. This builds upon the recommendations of an independent academic committee commissioned by the University of British Columbia?s Faculty of Medicine to examine the effectiveness of the Initiative.
The BC NDP is committed to working with patients, health professionals, independent experts, and industry to continually improve B.C.?s Pharmacare program.
Thank you for this opportunity to discuss these issues with your organization.
Sincerely,
Jenn McGinn
BC NDP Candidate, Vancouver-Fairview
BC's New Democrats
Election 2009
May 8, 2009
Dear Better Pharmacare Coalition,
Thank you for your open letter to the New Democratic Party regarding your views on how the BC Pharmacare program can best serve British Columbians.
The NDP started the Pharmacare program in 1973 and improved it over time to ensure its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. During our time in Opposition, we have regularly worked with patients, their families and organizations to get specific drugs and treatments to those who need them through public discussion and advocacy.
The NDP supports getting drugs to people in the safest and fastest way possible. We support improvements to the drug approval process that will enhance transparency, accountability, clarify the roles of advice and decision-making bodies, include public members, and improve the timeliness of approvals. We further support maximizing the value for patients in procurement policies and will develop strategies to achieve this.
The NDP has been very concerned that British Columbia's families and seniors have been paying more out of pocket for healthcare and prescription drugs. According to Statistics Canada, the cost for private supplementary coverage for prescription drugs and the now-de-listed rehab, eye care and podiatry services, increased from $256 per household in 1997 to more than $480 today. These are significant increased costs, particularly when you compare them with the average wage increases in Canada, which were about 2.3% per year during the same period.
The BC Liberal government's decision to move away from universal drug coverage for seniors was clearly wrong and is forcing seniors and other British Columbians to make difficult choices. New Democrats strenuously opposed this policy change and as resources permit, a New Democrat government will work to improve the situation.
A New Democrat government will also work with other provinces and territories and cooperate with the federal government in establishing a Canada-wide prescription drug program, phasing in drug coverage for all citizens, beginning with catastrophic drug costs. The national program would reduce the cost of prescription drugs for average Canadians and save billions of dollars from provincial health care budgets by implementing a bulk-purchasing plan.
Since its inception in 2007, the NDP has consistently raised concerns about the composition of the government's pharmaceutical task force. We do not believe that the development of public policy should be dominated by an industry that has not always acted in the public interest. This should in no way be misinterpreted to suggest we are against improving the timeliness of drug approvals. In fact our commitment to add resources to the independent evaluation process confirms just the opposite. Our platform commits to increase the budget for the Therapeutics Initiative by 50% annually and enshrine the funding through legislation to enhance its independence and timeliness. This builds upon the recommendations of an independent academic committee commissioned by the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine to examine the effectiveness of the Initiative.
The BC NDP is committed to working with patients, health professionals, independent experts, and industry to continually improve B.C.'s Pharmacare program.
Thank you for this opportunity to discuss these issues with your organization.
Sincerely,
Rachel Marcuse
Campaign Manager
Campaign to Re-Elect Jenny Kwan
May 7, 2009
Hello Pamela,
Thank you for letter regarding improving the BC Pharmacare system. My apologies for the tardiness of our response.
The NDP started the Pharmacare program in 1973 and improved it over time to ensure its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. During our time in Opposition, we have regularly worked with patients, their families and organizations to get specific drugs and treatments to those who need them through public discussion and advocacy.
The NDP supports getting drugs to people in the safest and fastest way possible. We support improvements to the drug approval process that will enhance transparency, accountability, clarify the roles of advice and decision-making bodies, include public members, and improve the timeliness of approvals. We further support maximizing the value for patients in procurement policies and will develop strategies to achieve this.
The NDP has been very concerned that British Columbia's families and seniors have been paying more out of pocket for healthcare and prescription drugs. According to Statistics Canada, the cost for private supplementary coverage for prescription drugs and the now-de-listed rehab, eye care and podiatry services, increased from $256 per household in 1997 to more than $480 today. These are significant increased costs, particularly when you compare them with the average wage increases in Canada, which were about 2.3% per year during the same period.
The BC Liberal government's decision to move away from universal drug coverage for seniors was clearly wrong and is forcing seniors and other British Columbians to make difficult choices. New Democrats strenuously opposed this policy change and as resources permit, a New Democrat government will work to improve the situation.
A New Democrat government will also work with other provinces and territories and cooperate with the federal government in establishing a Canada-wide prescription drug program, phasing in drug coverage for all citizens, beginning with catastrophic drug costs. The national program would reduce the cost of prescription drugs for average Canadians and save billions of dollars from provincial health care budgets by implementing a bulk-purchasing plan.
Since its inception in 2007, the NDP has consistently raised concerns about the composition of the government's pharmaceutical task force. We do not believe that the development of public policy should be dominated by an industry that has not always acted in the public interest. This should in no way be misinterpreted to suggest we are against improving the timeliness of drug approvals. In fact our commitment to add resources to the independent evaluation process confirms just the opposite. Our platform commits to increase the budget for the Therapeutics Initiative by 50% annually and enshrine the funding through legislation to enhance its independence and timeliness. This builds upon the recommendations of an independent academic committee commissioned by the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine to examine the effectiveness of the Initiative.
The BC NDP is committed to working with patients, health professionals, independent experts, and industry to continually improve B.C.'s Pharmacare program.
Thank you for this opportunity to discuss these issues with your organization.
Best,
Sian Madoc-Jones
--
Campaign to Re-elect Spencer Herbert
Vancouver West End NDP
May 6, 2009
Dear Better Pharmacare Coalition,
Thank you for taking the time to write to my and my colleagues in the BC NDP. As the party that started Pharmacare in 1973, we are committed to ensure its long-term viability and success. As the Official Opposition we have collaborated with patients, their families and other stakeholders to ensure that specific drugs and treatments are available to those who need them in and advocacy. We are committed to getting drugs to patients in the safest and fastest way possible and to making improvements to the drug approval process that will better serve patients.
We are very concerned about the trend in British Columbia that has seen families and seniors paying more out of pocket for healthcare and prescription drugs. We were opposed to the BC Liberal Government's decision to move away from universal drug coverage for seniors. As resources permit, a BC NDP government will work to improve this situation when we are elected the next provincial government in BC.
Sincerely,
Cameron Phillips
NDP candidate: Penticton
May 5, 2009
Dear Ms. Gole,
I apologize for the delay getting back to you. Thank-you for bringing both the work of the Better Pharmacare Coalition and the 2008 Pharmaceutical Task Force report to my attention. Your advocacy fills an important role in improving our health care system and an invaluable service for citizens of British Columbia.
My understanding is that the recommendations of the Pharmaceutical Task Force were accepted by government in May 2008. The Ministry of Health committed to begin working with some of the recommendations immediately, while other more complex recommendations will take some time to plan and implement.
In response to your 'open letter to the BC Liberal Party', and from my personal experience with chronic illness of a family member, if elected I will undertake to work with all my colleagues to better understand and improve health issues such as this. My commitment is to work diligently, tirelessly...to champion the challenging issues that face our people and our province.
Yours truly,
Rob Hutchins
BC Liberal Candidate
Nanaimo-North Cowichan
May 2, 2009
Dear Ms. Gole,
Thank you for your open letter dated April 29, 2009. As the New Democrat candidate for Richmond-Centre, I am agreeable to the recommendations of the Pharmaceutical Task Force Report. I believe pharmacare is a sacred program and I am committed to seeing it improved through consultation with all stakeholders.
If you, or someone from your office, would like to meet with me for further discussion, please call campaign manager Victor Elkins (Richmond NDP).
Thank you,
Kam Brar
MLA Candidate
Richmond-Centre
New Democrats
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