Thanks Sean, it’s always great to be back around your neck of the woods, and thanks for being such an outstanding voice for the people of Nova Scotia and for all Canadians as our Housing minister.

I am very happy to be here with the other members of our team from Nova Scotia: Cody, Darren, and Lina too. 

I’m really happy to be here at the Truro campus of the Nova Scotia Community College. I just had a chance to meet some of the amazing people who work in health care, who are joining us here today on either side. Thank you for being here today to talk with us about what we’re doing to make health care more accessible for everyone. We’re focused on fairness for every generation, which means, among other things, making housing more affordable to empower younger generations like millennials and Gen Z. It means creating the good jobs of tomorrow while fighting climate change today. And it also means improving our health care system, making sure everyone has access to the care they need, and protecting the integrity of universal health care in Canada by standing up to those who want to privatize it. 

First off, we’re investing $200 billion to help provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners improve health care results and outcomes for Canadians. These investments will, among other things, make it possible to train more doctors and nurses, reduce hospital wait times and backlogs, and, most importantly, improve access to primary care and to mental health services. On top of this, we’re also launching the first phase of a national pharmacare plan by making diabetes medications free, and by making contraception medications and devices free. 

Insulin can cost up to $1,700 a year. One in four Canadians with diabetes reports not following their treatment plan because prices are too high. So, we are going to change that. 

We’re also making contraceptive medication and devices free. Being pro-choice means we believe that women should be free to choose whether, when, and how they plan a family. Right now, only a fraction of Canadian women are eligible for prescription birth control at low or no cost through a public drug plan. 

Oral contraceptives cost around $300 a year, and IUDs cost up to $500 each. But, from now on, prescription contraceptives will be free for Canadians.

Coverage for contraceptives will mean that millions of Canadians will have better access to contraception and reproductive autonomy. This will help improve family planning, reproductive rights, and, fundamentally, equity. 

When we say we are improving access to health care for Canadians, this also includes dental care. Last fall, we launched our plan to help people who don’t have insurance to go to the dentist. Among other things, the plan covers cleanings, fillings, X-rays, and dental prostheses. 

Over two million Canadian seniors have already signed up for our dental program and, in the three weeks since May 1, 100,000 seniors have been able to receive dental care. This is real progress. Progress on care, progress on affordability. Bringing down the cost of medications and dental care is making life more affordable for Canadians. These measures are based on the idea that everyone in this country should have access to the care they need no matter where they live, or how much money they have in their bank account.