Thursday, June 11, 2026
ADVT 
National

Leave regulators to approve COVID tests: Freeland

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Sep, 2020 08:27 PM
  • Leave regulators to approve COVID tests: Freeland

Health Canada says it can't provide any information about the status of any of the rapid-testing devices for COVID-19 it is reviewing.

Pressure is mounting on the federal government to approve tests that can provide faster results as hospitals and public health agencies across Canada struggle to keep up with the demand for COVID-19 testing.

Deputy Conservative leader Candice Bergen says the government promised in March that getting rapid tests was a priority and yet half a year later, there are still none in use in Canada.

At least 14 such devices are under review by Health Canada but the department's spokesman says he cannot comment on the status of the applications during the scientific assessment process.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says it would be wrong for politicians to put pressure on Health Canada to approve any of the devices.

Several other countries have had some of the faster tests in use for months now, including Japan and the United States, but Health Minister Patty Hajdu said last week Canada is not yet convinced the technology is good enough.

MORE National ARTICLES

Arrests Made, Tires Slashed On Patrol Cars In Northern B.C.: RCMP

Arrests Made, Tires Slashed On Patrol Cars In Northern B.C.: RCMP
VANCOUVER - First Nation leaders were among dozens of people arrested as police enforced injunctions against protesters across the province late Monday and Tuesday.    

Arrests Made, Tires Slashed On Patrol Cars In Northern B.C.: RCMP

Halifax Council Studies Quiet Fireworks Displays To Avoid Alarming Veterans

Halifax Council Studies Quiet Fireworks Displays To Avoid Alarming Veterans
 A Nova Scotia city councillor is pushing for quiet fireworks in Halifax out of concern the noise is alarming veterans and people on the autism spectrum.

Halifax Council Studies Quiet Fireworks Displays To Avoid Alarming Veterans

Acquittal Quashed: Homeowner Who Gunned Down Car Thief To Be Tried Anew

TORONTO - A homeowner who gunned down a would-be car thief seconds after a driveway confrontation will again have to stand trial on second-degree murder, Ontario's top court ruled on Wednesday.

Acquittal Quashed: Homeowner Who Gunned Down Car Thief To Be Tried Anew

Prepare For New Coronavirus Like An Emergency, Health Minister Advises

OTTAWA - Health Minister Patty Hajdu is encouraging Canadians to stockpile food and medication in their homes in case they or a loved one falls ill with the novel coronavirus.    

Prepare For New Coronavirus Like An Emergency, Health Minister Advises

Ontario Confirms New Case Of Coronavirus, Patient Had Travelled To Iran

Ontario Confirms New Case Of Coronavirus, Patient Had Travelled To Iran
TORONTO - A woman in her 60s who recently travelled to Iran has become the fifth person to contract the novel coronavirus in Ontario, as the province's monitoring of the virus widens.

Ontario Confirms New Case Of Coronavirus, Patient Had Travelled To Iran

Assisted Dying Bill Gets Mixed Reviews, Raises Fears Of More Restrictions

Assisted Dying Bill Gets Mixed Reviews, Raises Fears Of More Restrictions
Bill C-7, introduced Monday, would remove a provision in the four-year-old assisted dying law that restricted the procedure to those whose natural death is "reasonably foreseeable" — a restriction that was struck down as unconstitutional by a Quebec court last fall.

Assisted Dying Bill Gets Mixed Reviews, Raises Fears Of More Restrictions