Scope of Practice

Canada's pharmacists are doing more for their patients than ever before, but they continue to be an underutilized health-care resource in many parts of Canada.

What pharmacists can do across Canada

Download a PDF of this chart.

At a glance:
Pharmacists’ scope of practice and services

COVID-19

Controlled drugs and substances
During COVID-19, Health Canada issued temporary exemptions for prescriptions of controlled substances, which permit pharmacists to extend, transfer and accept verbal orders, and permit pharmacy employees to deliver prescriptions. This chart illustrates how these exemptions have been implemented across Canada.

Vaccination authority
From flu shots to routine immunizations and travel vaccines, pharmacists provide convenient access to a range of vaccines. This chart provides an overview of pharmacists' vaccination authority across Canada.

Common ailment prescribing in Canada
All pharmacists across the country can assess common aliment symptoms and recommend self-care or over-the-counter treatments. Pharmacists in many provinces can also prescribe medications for certain minor ailments. This chart provides an overview of common ailment prescribing across Canada.

Publicly funded pharmacy services by province
Provincial governments recognize the value of investing in pharmacy services and many provinces now cover these services as part of their provincial drug plans. This chart provides an overview of public payment for pharmacy services in each province.

What CPhA is doing

CPhA has long advocated for the expanding role of pharmacists and over the past decade we have witnessed pharmacists' scope of practice expand across the country—but there is still much work to do to ensure that all pharmacists can practice to full scope, harmonized across all provinces.