World Contraception Day - September 26

As one of the most accessible and trusted health professionals, community pharmacists have an important role to play in improving access, education and care associated with contraception. In fact, this role is growing across Canada as pharmacists' prescribing powers continue to expand.

Eight provinces now allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception after the authority was recently expanded in Newfoundland and Labrador (April 2023), British Columbia (June 2023) and Prince Edward Island (July 2023). Check out this new chart to see what access and coverage look like across Canada:

What Canadians are saying

According to a new national survey commissioned by CPhA, Canadians recognize the value of being able to access birth control at the pharmacy, but a significant number of Canadians are still unaware that in most provinces pharmacists can prescribe contraceptives.

• 73% of Canadians would likely see a pharmacist for a prescription for contraception
• 44% of Canadians were unaware that they could see a pharmacist for a prescription for contraception
• 7 in 10 Canadians believe that granting pharmacists the ability to assess and prescribe birth control leads to improved access to contraception across Canada. 

Resources for pharmacists 

In this video, Nova Scotia pharmacist Colleen MacInnis shares practical tips on how you can provide hormonal contraception management services in your community pharmacy.