Background

The current Pharmacy Act came into force in 2007. Some amendments have been made since then, however, few of these changes modernized the regulatory framework. As a result, the scope of practice for pharmacists in the NWT, alongside Nunavut, is the least comprehensive in Canada. Despite amendments like the Continued Care Prescription Regulations in 2008 and COVID-19-driven changes in 2020, the regulatory framework lacks modernization. In December 2021, important modifications were made to address the opioid crisis and pandemic challenges, incorporating naloxone kit accessibility and electronic prescribing. Now, the GNWT is proposing to move regulation of the pharmacy profession under the Health and Social Services Professions Act (HSSPA), an “umbrella” Act that came into force in March 2022. This transition aims to modernize regulation, harmonize the scope of practice with national standards, and fulfill the GNWT's goal of unifying various health and social services professions under a single law.

Next Steps

Engagement results will be summarized and publicly available on the GNWT’s Have Your Say webpage and will help inform the development of the regulations.