National

Pharmacare bill passes in the House of Commons, heads to the Senate

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jun, 2024 05:06 PM

The Liberals' pharmacare bill is headed to the Senate after passing third reading in the House of Commons.

The bill was the result of careful and lengthy negotiations between the Liberals and the New Democrats as a key element of their political pact to prevent an early election.

The legislation would see the federal government offer first-payer coverage of some contraceptive and diabetes medications, and sets the stage for a future full-fledged universal pharmacare program.

It's not yet clear exactly what drugs will be covered, since they will be the subject of negotiations with provincial and territorial governments.

Once the bill is passed, Health Minister Mark Holland can begin those formal negotiations with provinces and territories to deliver the program, which is expected to cost $1.5 billion over five years.

The goal is that Canadians will be able to access the contraceptive or diabetes drugs or supplies by showing their health card, whether they have insurance coverage or not.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

White Rock woman charged in theft

A 36-year-old White Rock woman is facing several charges including break and enter, theft and possession of stolen goods, after an alert neighbour in Tsawwassen called police to report a robbery. Delta police say it happened around 4:20 this morning when the neighbour saw a man and woman removing property from the home's garage and putting it in a nearby minivan.

White Rock woman charged in theft

Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees: Farnworth

Twenty-two British Columbia government email inboxes with sensitive personal information on 19 employees may have been accessed during a cyber attack on the province's networks, the minister of public safety said on Monday. Mike Farnworth said there's no indication the general public's information was compromised and investigators have not identified any misuse of the information the criminals may have accessed.

Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees: Farnworth

Woman's body found in Chilliwack

Homicide detectives have taken over an investigation into the death of a 50-year-old woman in Chilliwack that they say is suspicious. R-C-M-P say officers responded to a sudden death at a city home on Sunday where they found the woman's body.

Woman's body found in Chilliwack

B.C. sets distance for drivers to steer clear of cyclists, scooter users, walkers

Drivers in British Columbia now have to meet minimum distances between their vehicle and people walking or riding on provincial roads. The new rules start Monday and require drivers to stay at least a metre away from vulnerable road users if the speed limit is up to 50 kilometres an hour, and a metre-and-a-half at speeds over that.

B.C. sets distance for drivers to steer clear of cyclists, scooter users, walkers

Feds create $530M fund for cities to adapt to climate change

Canadian cities and towns facing an uphill battle to stave off the effects of climate change will share more than half a billion dollars from a new federal adaptation fund. The Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiative will offer up to $1 million to local governments for projects that upgrade or adjust their infrastructure and natural environment to be more protected from extreme weather events including floods, fires and major storms.

Feds create $530M fund for cities to adapt to climate change

Elenore Sturko leaves BC United party for Conservatives to 'defeat the NDP'

Another BC United member has left the party to join the Conservative Party of BC just months before the provincial election. Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko says in a statement that she's joining the provincial Conservatives to "rebuild the coalition that's needed to defeat the NDP."