Health Minister Mark Holland says he hopes to launch a national pharmacare program by April 1, 2025. A pharmacare bill drafted by the Liberals and the NDP has made its way through the House of Commons, but still needs to be studied by the Senate. The idea is to make birth control and diabetes medication available to anyone with a health card as part of a universal, single-payer program. The Liberals budgeted $1.5 billion for the program over five years. Once the bill receives royal assent, Holland can start negotiating deals with provinces and territories to administer the program. But he says

Statistics Canada says the country's population topped 41 million people in the first quarter of this year as it grew by 0.6 per cent. The agency says the population reached 41,012,563 on April 1, a gain of 242,673 people in the first three months of the year. Statistics Canada said the increase came as the country welcomed 121,758 immigrants in the first quarter. Net emigration amounted to 12,613 people for the quarter. Canada also added 131,810 non-permanent residents to the population. Statistics Canada noted that for temporary immigration, most of the growth happened before an announcement

McGill University says it is ending negotiations with pro-Palestinian activists who are occupying the lower field of its downtown Montreal campus. The university is also planning disciplinary action against people participating in the encampment, which began in late April. "Despite our ongoing efforts to discuss in good faith, the representatives of the encampment have maintained that their demands are non-negotiable while accusing the university of unwillingness to engage in fair discussions," McGill president Deep Saini said in a statement Tuesday. "As it has become clear that no fruitful ou

Federally regulated workplaces will soon be banned from bringing in replacement workers during a legal strike, after the Senate passed a government bill Monday that is now set to become law. The bill known as "anti-scab" legislation also sets a fine of up to $100,000 a day for employers who have replaced striking workers. The legislation was a key element of the Liberals' political pact with the New Democrats, and passed through the House of Commons with unanimous support. Union leaders have lauded the changes as a win for workers' protections and bargaining power. But the Canadian Chamber of

A Sikh activist marking the anniversary of the killing of British Columbia temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar says the past year has shown they are vindicated in their claims that India targeted separatists overseas. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based activist who himself was targeted by India according to U.S. authorities, says Nijjar's murder a year ago was "not the kind of publicity" the Sikh independence movement was seeking. Pannun says Nijjar's death and subsequent revelations by Canadian and U.S. officials have "uncovered" India's plans to silence overseas dissidents with violenc

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed into the second day of the G7 leaders' summit, which will feature a special appearance by Pope Francis. The pontiff is slated to deliver an address to leaders about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. He is also expected to renew his appeal for a peaceful end to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Leaders of the G7 countries announced on Thursday that they will deliver a US$50-billion loan to Ukraine using interest earned on profits from Russia's frozen central bank assets as collateral. Can

Canada's minister of defence says the federal government is committed to supporting Ukraine. Bill Blair is meeting with members of NATO in the Belgian capital of Brussels. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Blair says that the Canadian government is donating 900 drones built in Canada to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities. Additionally, Blair says in close co-ordination with allies, a Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia is being scaled up to brigade size. Blair's latest announcement on Friday comes as NATO member nations continue to work to meet the group's agreed-upon target of spending t

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Italy today as the G7 leaders' summit kicks off. The three-day summit is an opportunity for collaboration among the leaders of the wealthy democracies France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Japan. Trudeau is scheduled to have meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy. He is also set to participate in working sessions with other leaders on collaboration with Africa, climate change, the Middle East and Ukraine. Ukraine is expected to be a major ag

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Trudeau heads to Italy for G7 leaders' summit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to Italy on Wednesday to attend the annual G7 leaders' summit, which is taking place as two major geopolitical conflicts weigh on the international community. The three-day summit kicks off on Thursday in Apulia, Italy, where leaders of the seven wealthy democratic nations are expected to discuss the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, the energy transition, artificial intelligence, migration and collaboration with Afr