Pharmacy banners, suppliers meet to celebrate 30 years of advocacy

Members and parters of Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada gathered in Ottawa this week to celebrate 30 years of advocacy on behalf of the business of community pharmacy.Welcoming attendees to this year's annual Pharmacy Expo, 2025 Board Chair Marie-Claude Vézina noted that the event—which brings pharmacy retailers and pharmacy product and service vendors together for planned meetings and networking—had attracted 23 first-time vendors and 20% more attendees than the previous year. Vézina, who is VP and chief network officer for Metro Pharmacy also congratulated members who had been celebrated at an awards ceremony the previous evening. Among the association's 2025 award recipients are Janet Cooper, who received the 2025 Len Marks Pharmacy Advancement Award. Cooper, who currently serves as executive director of the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada, was celebrated for her many years of leadership work on behalf of the profession both in her roles in education and in her career in advocacy.At the same event, Ryan Norman received the 2025 Distinguished Partner of the Year Award. Norman is general manager, supplier relations and health industry information services at IQVIA and was recognized for his efforts in bringing data-driven insights to help further the work of the association,On the first day of the Expo, leaders got together for a roundtable and breakout sessions with the goal of bringing to the forefront some of the most pressing issues currently facing the profession and business of pharmacy in this country. Post federal election, the burning topics under discussion included: the need to secure the country's drug supply in the face of international trade pressures and tariffs; increasing patient access to frontline pharmacy care by continuing to expand pharmacy's role in primary care; ensuring that compensation is fair and reflective of the full scope of pharmacy services and removing interprovincial barriers to practice.The association, which was founded in 1995 as the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (and modeled after the U.S. National Association of Chain Drug Stores), also recently released its 2025-2029 Strategic Plan as a framework for its work on behalf of the more than 12,000 pharmacies represented by its membership.Wrapping up the Expo was a keynote by the Honourable Jean Charest. Charest, who served in federal and the Quebec provincial governments for almost 30 years is currently a partner with the firm Therrien, Couture, Joli-Couer.Speaking to the audience of pharmacy leaders, Charest outlined his thoughts on some of the immediate challenges that the newly-elected federal Liberal government will face in response to the challenges presented by the U.S. government under President Trump. Any newly-elected prime minister's first responsibilities, he said, are to ensure that the country stays united and to manage our relationship with the U.S.; and Prime Minister Carney is facing unprecedented and urgent challenges on both fronts.Regarding the ongoing tariff threats and position statements Charest said that regardless of whatever will happen with tariffs and import and export rules, the U.S. is, and will still be, our #1 trading partner—and we will have to live with that reality. Specifically related to the pharmaceutical industry, Charest noted that the Covid-19 pandemic showed how vulnerable Canada is, in terms of our ability to quickly supply our population with needed medication in a crisis. But at the same time, the pandemic also showed that we are blessed with an innovative pharmaceutical industry that is able to respond and work quickly when needed. "If it hadn't been for the innovators in this industry, we wouldn't have had a vaccine so quickly. This industry helped us get out of the pandemic."In a Q&A session, Katie Heels, senior vice-president of Innovative Health asked Charest what the new government should focus on in it's first 100 days. In the face of external trade threats, strengthening federal-provincial relationships is crucial, said Charest, noting that the Liberals under Carney are well on their way to doing just that. "There have been more federal provincial meetings in the past six months than there were in the past six years."

Pharmacy banners, suppliers meet to celebrate 30 years of advocacy

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