Leo Broderick of the Council of Canadians addressed the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU) at their labour school at Charlottetown, PEI in October 2018.
Broderick is a community and peace activist, retired teacher, past President of the PEI Teachers’ Federation, and former Vice-President of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation. He discussed Pharmacare for All, and the importance of the labour movement in helping to create a universal, public drug program for all Canadians.
Broderick also talked about the three largest threats to our planet: climate change, rising inequality and increasing militarization. He also discussed the benefits of a national pharmacare program and what it would mean for Canadians, and answered questions and comments from the floor.
0:18 – Introduction by CCU President Kelly Johnson
0:50 – Biography and work of Leo Broderick from the Council of Canadians
2:00 – Overview of politics in Prince Edward Island since the 1990s
2:50 – The three most critical issues facing the planet: climate change, rising inequality, increasing militarization
6:10 – Protecting Canada’s water resources
6:55 – Overview of Council of Canadians
8:55 – Protecting our environment
9:35 – Right wing populism
11:00 – Struggles of labour unions
12:10 – Democracy is under attack by the right wing
12:05 – The battle for clean water
14:15 – Industrial agriculture in Prince Edward Island
16:55 – Workers’ rights in Prince Edward Island
18:15 – Food insecurity in Canada
19:45 – The importance of the union movement
23:05 – Union density around the world
24:05 – Right wing attacks against labour unions
25:45 – Promoting the benefits of unions
26:45 – Gender inequality throughout the world
28:20 – Working conditions for women
29:25 – Wealth inequality worldwide
30:25 – Pharmacare petitions online
31:15 – Insurance programs in Canada today
32:35 – Access to pharmaceuticals in Canada
34:20 – The effect of corporate trade on universal pharmacare
35:55 – Economic barriers to pharmaceutical drugs
36:30 – Statistics about pharmaceutical drugs in Canada
37:30 – Canadian drug prices compared to other countries
37:55 – Benefits of a universal, public drug system
38:25 – Corporate drug sales and profits in Canada
39:30 – Public, taxpayer subsidies towards drug corporations
41:05 – 2008 financial crash and bailout
41:55 – Corporate trade and patent protection
42:20 – Benefits of a universal, public drug system
45:25 – Description of a universal, public drug system in Canada
46:55 – The history of health care in Canada since WWII
47:40 – Completing Tommy Douglas’ vision of universal health care
48:05 – Barriers to universal, public health care
48:40 – The influence of labour unions towards pharmacare
49:40 – How the pharmaceutical industry is fighting against pharmacare
51:00 – Question: why are drug corporations pushing back so hard?
52:05 – Question: what is a good model of pharmacare from around the world?
53:15 – The importance of fair, progressive taxation
54:50 – Inequality of taxes in Canada
55:40 – Question: what political party wants universal pharmacare?
56:40 – Collective bargaining, health care and drug coverage
58:00 – What labour unions did for Canadians in history
59:35 – Question: what can seniors do for access to drugs?
1:00:10 – Question: union-managed drug programs
1:03:55 – Pharmacare is an issue of fairness
1:04:30 – Comment: The choice for some Canadians between food and drugs
1:05:15 – Comment: Walkerton water crisis and illness
1:06:45 – What the Council of Canadians does for pharmacare
1:07:40 – The importance of grassroots activism for pharmacare
1:08:55 – Special thanks to Leo Broderick from the CCU