In memory of Robert Devet (d. September 27, 2021), founder, publisher and editor of the Nova Scotia Advocate. This site is preserved as an archive of the Advocate’s journalism from 2016 to 2021, and as a tribute to Robert’s work. No new articles are published, and comments, forms and search are closed. Read the tribute →

Danny Cavanagh, president of the NS Federation of Labour, is pleased with the recommendations in the universal pharmacare report. Now it is a matter of making sure politicians get the message that we want universal public pharmacare, and that we want it now, writes Cavanagh.

From Bill Swan’s excellent Faces of Pharmacare website we feature the story of a Nova Scotia woman faced with a $3500 monthly bill for the life saving medications she needs. In her case a solution was found in the end, but “I succeeded because I was determined, persistent and angry enough to take action. I knew how to explain my case. I knew how to write convincing letters. I’d been a bureaucrat and a consultant. Many people are too sick to advocate together with their doctors; many people are intimidated by the system; they know it is not fair but feel powerless to influence decisions.”