Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology The Senate of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Canada, K1A 0A4 RE: Request for information - Diabetes Canada appearance at Senate SOCI Committee on September 25th As mentioned during Diabetes Canada’s appearance before the Senate SOCI Committee on September 25th, 2024, Diabetes Canada encourages the government to include a do-no- harm provision in the text of Bill C-64,

an Act Respecting Pharmacare. As it stands, the bill makes no reference to ensure existing private coverage will be maintained, as such, C-64 should enshrine a ‘do no harm’ or nobody left behind’ principle in law, similar to the protections that exist under the previously passed Dental Benefit Act, to protect the private coverage that many people living with diabetes already rely on. The specific text related to a do no harm or nobody left behind provision included in the recent federal dental care is outlined below: Sections and of the Dental Benefit Act put in place measures to ensure the new program would augment existing coverage, rather than disrupt it. • Section 4 (1) (

e) makes provision for private insurance by tailoring the eligibility requirement to uninsured Canadians: o “they make the application in respect of a person who is not insured under a dental services plan and who does not have access to a dental care insurance plan obtained on the basis of the employment of the applicant, their cohabiting spouse or common law partner or any other person”. • Section 10 (1) (

b) also requires recipients to attest that they or their spouse do not have access to private insurance: o “the person in respect of whom the application is made is not insured under a dental services plan and does not have access to a dental care insurance plan obtained on the basis of the employment of the applicant, their cohabiting spouse or common law partner or any other person”.

We recognize that the committee also requested for Diabetes Canada to submit additional information on the percentage of diabetes medications that are available in Canada, but not covered under the formulary the government has proposed. Our research and policy teams are working diligently to compile this data and will follow up as soon as possible with more information.