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

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

Police and other rescue agencies say they're still looking for a 37-year-old boater who went missing near Mission, B.C., but local rescue crews say “it’s unlikely he is still alive.” RCMP say police responded to Nicomen Slough, about 14 kilometres northeast of Mission, on Friday evening after receiving reports of a boating accident in which two men were thrown into the water. They say the boaters were reportedly doing donuts in a small aluminum boat, and both got tossed from the craft after hitting their own wake. Police say the boat's passenger was able to make it to shore, but the driv

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

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

Chinese police say a suspect is in custody in a stabbing attack on four instructors from Iowa’s Cornell College who were teaching at a Chinese university in the northeast city of Jilin. Jilin city police said a 55-year old man surnamed Cui was walking in a public park when he had bumped into a foreigner. He then stabbed the foreigner and three other foreigners who were with him, and a Chinese person who approached in an attempt to intervene. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Four instructors from Iowa's Cornell College teaching at Beihua University in northe

The wildfire that forced 4,700 people to leave their homes in Fort Nelson, B.C., is now listed as under control. The BC Wildfire Service says in a social media statement that the 123-square-kilometre fire in northeastern B.C. is not expected to grow beyond its current boundary. All evacuation alerts connected to the fire have been lifted. The Parker Lake blaze came within a few kilometres of Fort Nelson on May 10, prompting the evacuation of most of the town. The fire destroyed four homes and damaged several other properties. Rain and cooler temperatures have allowed crews to reduce the wildfi

McGill University says a protest that culminated in the arrest of 15 people Thursday was a "troubling" event in a series of escalating incidents that have taken place since pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment on campus more than a month ago. The university says in a statement that protesters blockaded several doors during Thursday's demonstration, and damaged furniture and yelled threats, forcing some staff members to shelter in place. The school said it supports the right to freedom of expression but condemns "the use of intimidating, aggressive, harassing or illegal tactics su

The British Columbia Coroners Service says 182 people died in April from drug overdoses. A statement from the service says the toll represents a 24 per cent decrease in deaths from April 2023, but "the risk posed by unregulated drug supply remains very high." It says in the eight years since the public-health emergency was declared, 14,582 people in the province have died from toxic drugs, including 763 in the first four months of this year. The coroner says fentanyl continues to be the primary driver of overdoses this year, and was detected in 82 per cent of toxicological tests. Unregulated d