The ongoing tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from other countries continue to create significant challenges for Canada’s healthcare system. When President Donald Trump announced tariffs that rattled the Canadian pharmaceutical industry, something unexpected happened. The public’s fear of rising drug prices and restricted access to drugs has reached historic heights.
John Adams, Board Chair of the Best Medicines Coalition underlines the harm tariffs cause to Canadians. In his view, these tariffs cause more harm than good to address. He notes that Canadian researchers depend almost entirely on components that must come from the U.S. If tariffs do raise costs, patients will be the first to know—through higher medication prices.
Shelita Dattani, a prominent voice in healthcare advocacy, notes that tariffs will exacerbate existing strains on pharmacies and healthcare providers. “If we’re absorbing those costs in pharmacies, big, small, across the country, this could actually add risk to how sustainable all of our different pharmacies are,” she states. This is a very troubling situation to be in, especially since about 27 percent of the Canadian population already cannot afford the medicines they need.
Canada’s focus on the U.S. government decision to impose these illegal tariffs has ruled the debate for months, leaving Canadian officials little room to maneuver. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not initiated significant action in response, Mark Carney has reduced retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. to nearly zero. This failure to mount a serious response is deeply troubling. So just how feasible is it for Canada to promise a consistent supply chain for pharmaceutical products?
Without rigorous inspections and oversight, Adams cautions, Canada could once again be left holding the bag. “Without that, Canada’s kind of on a boat without a paddle when it comes to inspections at that point,” he states, underscoring the reliance on U.S. organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for product inspections.
Dattani further emphasizes the risks posed by the tariffs: “We could see our drug prices go up. We could see disruptions to our already sensitive drug supply.” Not only would these changes make it more difficult for patients to access these critical medications, but this would exacerbate the ethical dilemmas now confronting healthcare providers. She argues the federal government needs to make more specific and intentional investments to address these tariff-induced challenges. Further, she thinks we need to encourage domestic innovation in manufacturing and research.
“The right option is that we have targeted investments from our government and domestic innovation in manufacturing and in research in Canada that doesn’t risk any harm to patients or providers. So, tariffs are not the way to get there,” – Shelita Dattani
Adams paints an equally grim view on the effect that U.S. government policies have had on research funding for new therapies. He terms it “the complete destruction of the research funding by the U.S. government for new therapies.” He calls this reality a “world-class tragedy”, one that might have lasting repercussions on Canadian healthcare.
