The parliamentary budget officer says a single-payer universal drug plan would cost the federal and provincial governments $11.2 billion in the first year, and $13.4 billion in five years.The PBO's report released today provides an estimate for the cost of a pharmacare program between 2024-25 and 2027-28.It calculates the incremental cost of the program, taking into account current spending by governments on public drug plans as well as revenue that would be generated from co-pays under a pharmacare plan.The Liberals have promised to table pharmacare legislation this fall as part of the supply

Defence Minister Bill Blair says a Royal Canadian Air Force plane has left Tel Aviv with 130 people on board.The departures board at the airport shows that flight CFC 4169 left for Athens this afternoon local time.The federal government said Wednesday that flights could begin leaving as early as today, with up to 150 passengers on board.Officials say around 700 Canadians in Israel have asked for help to leave the country since violence broke out on Saturday.Canada does not usually provide military air transportation when commercial flights are still operating, but the government says people ha

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa says a Canadian citizen living in Israel has died.CEO Andrea Freedman gave this information to the media on behalf of Adi Vital-Kaploun's family.Adi Vital-Kaploun was 33 years old.Freedman described Kaploun as a wonderful woman.She recently completed her master's degree in chemical engineering.She worked in cyber security.She held dual citizenship and considered herself a proud Israeli and Canadian.Today is the fifth day of the Israel-Hamas war in which 2150 people have died, including three Canadians.

Two former Quebec junior hockey players have pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a minor in June 2021.Massimo Siciliano and Nicolas Daigle, both 21, are former Victoriaville Tigres players who were charged with the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl who was an employee at a hotel where the team was staying during the 2021 playoffs.Siciliano and Daigle both pleaded guilty to sexual assault, while Daigle also pleaded guilty to two charges of filming and exhibiting a video of the act.

The death toll in Israel and Hamas attacks has exceeded 2,000 and the death toll is likely to continue.Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that two Canadians have been killed during the ongoing war in Israel and there is a fear of another one being killed.According to Global Affairs Canada, in addition to the dead, three more Canadians are missing.Their families fear they are being held hostage in Gaza.Joly, however, did not reveal whether Canadians were among those held hostage by Hamas.Hamas and another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, have claimed to have taken 130 people

The federal Liberal government says it will extend an amnesty order on guns it prohibited in the wake of the deadly 2020 Nova Scotia shooting rampage for an extra two years.Public Safety Canada quietly posted the extension on its website about the yet-to-be-developed firearms buyback program, saying the amnesty period that was set to expire at the end of the month will remain in place until Oct. 30, 2025.The amnesty applies to those who own one of the more than 1,500 models of guns that Ottawa announced it was banning, saying "assault-style" firearms, such as the AR-15, have no place in commun

Major grocers in Canada are not yet confirming whether they have committed to special promotions to stabilize grocery prices, as was recently promised by the federal government.Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced last week that the grocers have presented initial plans to stabilize prices, which include discounts, price freezes and price-matching campaigns.The Canadian Press has reached out to the grocers like Loblaw, Empire, Metro, Walmart and Costco to confirm what exactly each of them has promised to do.Metro declined to comment, while Loblaw, Empire and Costco have not

Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly confirmed the death of two Canadians in Israel on Wednesday and said that there is a fear that a third may be killed.Along with this, the case of the disappearance of three other Canadians is being investigated.Joly said the government will airlift Canadians in the coming days using Canadian military aircraft.Other arrangements will be made for those who cannot reach the airport in Tel Aviv.The latest federal statistics show that 4249 Canadians are registered in Israel.476 Canadians are registered in Gaza and the West Bank.Joly said they know how difficul

The RCMP announced Tuesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into Ontario Premier Doug Ford's plan to open up greenbelt land for development.An RCMP spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday that the RCMP O Division's Sensitive and International Investigations Unit has opened an investigation into allegations related to the decision to open up part of the Greenbelt to development following a referral from the Ontario Provincial Police.He said that the investigation will be fair so that Canadians will know the real truth.An RCMP spokesperson said no further information will be relea