Sunday, June 14, 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

Oscar Arfmann Given Life Sentence Without Parole For 25 Years For Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson's Murder

Oscar Arfmann's B.C. Supreme Court trial last year heard that he ambushed Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson and shot him twice from behind in November 2017.

Oscar Arfmann Given Life Sentence Without Parole For 25 Years For Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson's Murder

14-Year-Old Snowboarder Found Safe And Sound At B.C.’s Sun Peaks Ski Resort

14-Year-Old Snowboarder Found Safe And Sound At B.C.’s Sun Peaks Ski Resort
The RCMP say a 14-year-old snowboarder who was missing near Kamloops, B.C., has been found "safe and sound."

14-Year-Old Snowboarder Found Safe And Sound At B.C.’s Sun Peaks Ski Resort

14-Year-Old Snowboarder Missing Since Sunday At B.C.’s Sun Peaks Ski Resort

14-Year-Old Snowboarder Missing Since Sunday At B.C.’s Sun Peaks Ski Resort
Mounties say the missing boy took a shuttle to the Sun Peaks Resort Sunday morning but failed to catch the return shuttle to Kamloops in the afternoon.

14-Year-Old Snowboarder Missing Since Sunday At B.C.’s Sun Peaks Ski Resort

Two Men Found Dead, Third Still Missing In B.C. Search That Involved Hundreds

There's been a tragic end to a weekend search for three young men on southern Vancouver Island.

Two Men Found Dead, Third Still Missing In B.C. Search That Involved Hundreds

Lower Mainland Mayors, Including Surrey, Endorse Regional Ride-Hailing Licence

Mayors in British Columbia's Lower Mainland have reached an agreement on an interim business licence for ride-hailing companies that want to operate in the region.

Lower Mainland Mayors, Including Surrey, Endorse Regional Ride-Hailing Licence

Sentencing For Man Who Murdered Abbotsford Police Officer Const. John Davidson

The man who killed Abbotsford, B.C., police Const. John Davidson in November 2017 will be sentenced in court today.

Sentencing For Man Who Murdered Abbotsford Police Officer Const. John Davidson