Free pill or IUD: all women in Canada are covered for contraception

Canada plans to make all contraception free for women, so that good healthcare is also possible for lower incomes. “Our plan to make commonly used contraception free will give nine million Canadian women a free choice,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a press conference in Toronto yesterday.

The country has been working on a plan to take healthcare to the next level for some time. In February, a bill was created, the Pharma Act, which included plans for free contraception. This applies to all contraception, including the morning-after pill. According to 2023 figures from statistics agency Statista, 73 percent of women in Canada use contraception. In the Netherlands that was 63 percent last year.

With the new plan, the government will collaborate with, for example, provinces to reduce costs. Reimbursing contraception and diabetes medications is a first phase of the new health plan. According to Canadian media, this is the largest health care reform ever.

‘Autonomy over body’

Deputy Prime Minister Freeland sees the rollout of the plan as a breakthrough, allowing “more Canadian women to have autonomy over their bodies and their lives.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also reports the plans on X. “Women should have the freedom to choose the contraception they need, without cost being a factor.”

It has not been announced when women will no longer have to pay for the pill or IUD. It is also still unclear how high the costs will be for the government. Health Minister Mark Holland previously told Canada’s CBC News that he wanted to roll out the plan “step by step”.