2021 Election Toolkit - Find more information at www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 - Canadian Pharmacists Association
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
2021 Election Toolkit Find more information at www.pharmacists.ca/election2021
Election advocacy
Pharmacists are heavily impacted by government policies and regulations, and it’s critical we continue
to make our voices heard for the sake of the communities and patients we serve. While it can take
years for policy change to be realized, policy advocacy is especially important during election periods.
Canadians will go to the polls on September 20, 2021 to elect their federal representatives in Ottawa.
Your participation in the election conversation
is essential—issues impacting
PHARMACISTS NEED TO BE HEARD
by candidates across the country.
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 2Federal elections 101
There are 338 constituencies (also known as ridings) where federal representatives will be elected this
fall. In general, each riding will have a nominated candidate from the four major parties—the Liberal
Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Green
Party of Canada. Each of those constituencies will elect a Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them
through a first-past-the-post system. This means that the candidate who has the highest number of
votes wins! The leader of the party that elects the most MPs will become the Prime Minster of Canada,
and that party will form the government. The party with the second greatest number of elected MPs will
form the opposition. A majority government is formed when a political party wins more than half the
seats in the legislature. If no party wins most of the seats, it is called a minority government.
CANADA
COMPRISES
338
RIDINGS
Each riding nominates a candidate from each of the
4 major parties
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 3Where we’re at
On Sunday, August 15, 2021, the Prime Minister officially called the federal election, after visiting Governor
General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall where she accepted his request to dissolve the 43rd Parliament. The
election campaign period will be a short 36 days.
In the last federal election in 2019, the Liberal Party of Canada won a minority government, from a majority
government in 2015. During the first week of the 2021 election period, the Liberals now lead by 5 points
(33%) over the Conservatives (28%), with the NDP rising to 22%. The Bloc Quebecois are sitting at 31% of
the vote in Quebec.
Economic recovery, reconciliation, and overall affordability issues will likely dominate the national
conversation throughout the election. However, this election will also focus on vaccine mandates and the
issues around proof of vaccination. The growing narrative around climate change and its effects on the
environment, Canadian businesses, and families will also be a key election issue.
The current political landscape
Prior to the dissolution of the 43rd Parliament, the House of Commons was in a minority
government situation. A minority government occurs when no political party succeeds in
winning a majority (over fifty percent) of the seats in an election.
This will be the first federal election during a global pandemic, and vaccination rates
and vaccine passports are already top of mind for the candidates and the electorate.
This election is going to be very different on how the leaders are campaigning and how
Canadians are going to vote (mail-in ballots, etc.).
All parties are aware of the rising COVID-19 case counts due to the Delta variant and
Canadians could be facing different health measures/lockdown if the situation doesn’t
improve. Vaccines are something pharmacists can talk about confidently given the immense
role pharmacists have played in administering more than 9 million COVID-19 vaccines
across the country. This should be an issue to bring up if a candidate knocks on your door.
Commitments on pharmacare
The Conservatives and NDP have both released their campaign platforms, while the
Liberals and Green Party are currently finalizing their platforms.
The Liberals’ platform is not expected until closer to the middle of the campaign period,
but it is predicted that the Party’s commitments on pharmacare will reflect those made
in Budget 2021. Within Budget 2021, the Liberals committed to implementing shared
national universal pharmacare and working with provinces, territories, and stakeholders
to build on the foundational elements that are already in progress. However, the Liberals
have remained silent on whether this would be a mixed payer system, or a single public
payer system. Instead, the Liberals have focused on proceeding with the previously
announced plan to provide ongoing funding of $500 million toward a program for high-
cost drugs for rare diseases, the establishment of a Canadian Drug Agency, and the
development of a national formulary.
The NDP’s platform, which is almost identical to its 2019 platform, explicitly supports a
single payer public pharmacare strategy. Targeting a 2022 start date, the NDP commits to
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 4working with the provinces right away, with an annual federal investment of $10 billion.
Pharmacare has been a priority for the NDP over several elections now and it also
became a wedge issue during the minority government.
The Conservative Party do not touch on a national pharmacare strategy or on issues
related to drug coverage within its platform. However, of note in its platform is the
commitment to bring manufacturing of PPE and pharmaceuticals back to Canada by
ensuring government and government-funded procurement of these essential products
favour Canadian producers. The Conservatives also commit to increasing Canadian
research and production capacity by making Canada one of the best global jurisdictions
for pharmaceutical research and development and the production of vaccines and
medicines.
More on the current status of vaccine mandates
The federal government announced the intent to require vaccination as early as the end
of September across the federal public service. In addition, as soon as possible in the
fall and no later than the end of October, the government will require employees in the
federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated.
In response to this, the NDP say federal civil servants who refuse to get vaccinated
should face the possibility of discipline or even be fired. “For employees who still refuse
to be vaccinated, without a reason related to health status, we would expect that the
collective agreement would be followed. All collective agreements include a process
for progressive discipline—up to and including termination. Discipline should always
be a last resort but may be necessary in rare cases to protect the health and safety of
Canadians.” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole also spoke to this saying he is opposed to mandatory
vaccinations for federal public servants and instead prefers a regular rapid testing
regime to keep workplaces safe from COVID-19. O’Toole said the Liberal plan is a
divisive one and Canadians instead “want a reasonable and balanced approach that
protects their right to make personal health decisions.”
This is a politically charged issue and Canadians will be watching closely as to how each
party responds and navigates mandatory vaccination.
Current breakdown of seats in the House of Commons
Below is a chart illustrating seat numbers by party at dissolution. For more information on current MPs,
visit: www.parl.gc.ca
NUMBER OF SEATS AT DISSOLUTION:
Liberal Conservative Bloc Québécois NDP Independent Green Party Total
155 119 32 24 5 2 337
The role of the opposition in shaping public policy has been increasingly important in this minority
situation.
Election time is no different. Remember to engage more than one political candidate. Campaigns are an
uncertain time and the incumbent MP in your riding may not be re-elected.
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 5Opportunities for engagement
Using your time at the door
When candidates are door knocking and come to your home, be prepared to speak
to them about issues that matter to you as a pharmacist and ask questions about their
positions. Review the CPhA Election Priorities, so you are familiar with the key priorities
and even consider keeping a copy by your door to refer to when the time comes.
Attending community or virtual events
Follow the candidates in your riding on your favorite social media platform to keep an
eye on what community or virtual events they plan on attending. If you know a candidate
is attending a local public event, seek them out! Don’t be afraid to be proactive in starting
a conversation about issues that are important to you.
Sharing information with candidates
If you get a chance to speak with a local candidate, provide them with a copy of the
CPhA’s Election Priorities. You can also send them a copy via email. Be sure to share these
policy priorities with candidates from all the major parties in your riding.
Speaking out on social media
Your local candidates are almost certainly on social media, and they are paying attention
to what you share online. While Twitter is the most political of the platforms, sharing the
CPhA policy priorities on any social media site helps to make them part of the national
conversation. Where possible, tag your candidates in election-related posts to be sure
they see them. Sharing or retweeting content from CPhA is also an easy way to help the
cause.
Attending debates, forums and town halls (if applicable)
Watch for announcements about debates, town halls or other election-related events
being held in your riding or virtually. Attend these events and be prepared to ask
questions or speak to the issues impacting pharmacists.
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 6DO
Share your personal stories and experiences as a pharmacist—the
issues that affect the patients you care for and the issues that affect your
practice.
Stay on track. Use the CPhA Election Priorities to keep your message
clear when communicating with candidates. There are many issues
to discuss but keeping it simple will ensure your conversations are
memorable.
Be proactive. Don’t wait for the candidates to come to you, reach out to
them in a friendly and assertive way.
DON’T
Use the CPhA Election Priorities to endorse or attack a candidate or
party. Being friendly and open to all parties when speaking about the
priorities will go a long way. Encourage all the candidates to embrace
the recommendations.
Only speak to candidates from one party. Elections are unpredictable
and all parties influence the policy making process. Share your message
with as many candidates as you are able.
Pay to advertise these priorities. You are free to share these messages
on your personal social media accounts, however if you pay to promote
posts on these platforms you must register as a third-party advertiser
per the Elections Act.
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 7Rules of engagement
As a private citizen, you are encouraged to communicate with candidates freely if you are not paying to
promote your message and acting within the law. If you feel you may be in a situation where you are at
risk of violating the Elections Act, seek professional legal advice.
In general, it is best to communicate with all parties respectfully, even if you disagree with them
personally. Our goal in creating the CPhA Election Priorities is to advocate for solutions that help
pharmacists deliver the best possible care to their patients—not to further any one candidate or party.
You are free to support the candidate of your choosing but try to separate partisan activities from the
promotion of these issues. Also remember to always be respectful, regardless of the reaction you may
get from candidates or online. Politics can be very heated, but civility is always the best policy and of
course get out there and vote!
For more information and to get involved, visit www.pharmacists.ca/election2021
Follow CPhA:
Find more information at
www.pharmacists.ca/election2021 8You can also read
