Thursday, February 5, 2026
ADVT 
National

NDP urges action on pharmacare, dental care as health ministers meet in Halifax

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Jan, 2025 10:58 AM
  • NDP urges action on pharmacare, dental care as health ministers meet in Halifax

Canada's provincial and territorial health ministers are meeting with their federal counterpart in Halifax this week, and the New Democrats are urging them to ink pharmacare deals.

The national pharmacare law calls for the federal government to sign deals with provinces and territories to start funding coverage of birth control and diabetes medications. 

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland has said he hoped to have deals signed by this spring, but so far only B.C. has signed a memorandum of understanding. 

Other provinces have pledged to start covering some medications on their own. 

In a letter to Holland, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and health critic Peter Julian are also asking the Liberals to speed up expansion of the dental care program, which they say is nearly a month late. 

Both programs were a key part of the supply-and-confidence deal that saw the NDP keep the minority Liberal government in power from 2022 until last fall.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Dramatic rise in counterfeit bills in Prince George

Dramatic rise in counterfeit bills in Prince George
Police in Prince George are asking businesses to be vigilant after a "dramatic rise" in counterfeit bills in the city last month. Mounties say they received 17 reports of fake bills in December, far more than the typical one or two cases in an average month.

Dramatic rise in counterfeit bills in Prince George

CRTC to hold hearing on impact of global streamers on Canadian broadcasting

CRTC to hold hearing on impact of global streamers on Canadian broadcasting
The CRTC is looking at how the Canadian broadcasting system can survive the shift away from traditional TV to international streamers. The regulator is opening a public consultation on market dynamics and plans to hold a hearing in Gatineau, Que. in May.

CRTC to hold hearing on impact of global streamers on Canadian broadcasting

Poilievre says the next Canadian election will be about the carbon price

Poilievre says the next Canadian election will be about the carbon price
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his focus in the next federal election will be on ending the carbon price, even with the threat of tariffs from the incoming Trump administration. Poilievre says the carbon price is essentially a tariff on Canadians imposed by their own government.

Poilievre says the next Canadian election will be about the carbon price

Lawsuit against hardware retail giant Home Depot

Lawsuit against hardware retail giant Home Depot
The lawsuit alleges Home Depot gathered information when B.C. customers opted for emailed receipts, including the purchase price, brands bought, and data related to the customer's email address, then shared it without consent with technology giant Meta.

Lawsuit against hardware retail giant Home Depot

Canadian water bombers, helicopters on the way to help fight Los Angeles wildfire

Canadian water bombers, helicopters on the way to help fight Los Angeles wildfire
The Canadian agency that co-ordinates cross-border wildfire response with the United States says it's working to send a pair of air tankers to Southern California. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, headquartered in Winnipeg, said Thursday that it got a request overnight for a pair of CL-415 Skimmer Airtankers to join the fight against the fires. 

Canadian water bombers, helicopters on the way to help fight Los Angeles wildfire

U.S. steel, plastics among items Canada may target with retaliatory tariffs

U.S. steel, plastics among items Canada may target with retaliatory tariffs
Canada is looking to target American steel, ceramics, plastics and orange juice with retaliatory tariffs in response to threats of hefty duties on Canadian imports by the incoming Trump administration. A senior government official said Ottawa has made no decisions yet on retaliation, and is not prepared to share the full list of items under consideration.

U.S. steel, plastics among items Canada may target with retaliatory tariffs