Poilievre says he will not expand MAID, pledges new path to licensing for immigrant doctors
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CBC
20 minutes ago
- CBC
Independent candidate reacts to losing byelection to Poilievre
Bonnie Critchley was an independent candidate who finished as the runner-up in the federal byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot. She lost to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who will now represent the Alberta riding. She shares her thoughts after the byelection.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Poilievre calls on federal government to classify Bishnoi gang as terror entity
Published Aug 20, 2025 • 1 minute read Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks in front of workers at EnQuest Energy Solutions in Calgary on Aug. 7, 2025. (Brent Calver, Postmedia) SURREY, B.C. — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is the latest politician calling for the federal government to designate the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account His call on a visit to Surrey, B.C., came after RCMP in the city announced last month they had made two arrests in an investigation into extortion targeting the South Asian business community. Police have linked some extortion cases back to the gang, whose leader Lawrence Bishnoi is in prison in India. Poilievre says a terror designation will be part of a tough-on-crime push the Conservatives will make during the fall session of Parliament. He says the move would help police and prosecutors deal with an international extortion group that's been active in Surrey as well as cities including Calgary and Brampton. Poilievre says his party is also pushing to increase mandatory prison sentences for extortion, starting with a four-year sentence for the first offence. 'Our plan repeals catch-and-release bail, brings in mandatory jail time for repeat offenders, and ensures that we have a ban on the Bishnoi terrorists, so that this network of extortionists and terrorists are automatically criminalized,' he told a news conference. In June, B.C. Premier David Eby asked the federal government to declare the gang a terrorist organization, a call repeated by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last month. Read More Toronto & GTA Columnists Ontario Celebrity Sunshine Girls
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. Conservatives call for action after leaked recommendations on expensive rare-disease drugs
The B.C. Conservatives have demanded the NDP government provide a 'clear' status update on a four-year-old review that urged changes to the province's expensive rare-disease drug system. They have also called for the public release of the review and timelines for implementing its recommendations. The review — which was not made public — was obtained by Postmedia independently after the B.C. government refused to provide a copy. 'The leak of this four-year-old review is frustrating — but it confirms exactly what we've been saying since February,' said Brennan Day, the Conservative critic for rural and seniors' health. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Families like Charleigh Pollock's were left in the dark, forced to fight for life-changing treatments while bureaucrats sat on recommendations that could have prevented this. Transparency is not a website. It's real oversight, real engagement, and a system that works for patients — not just for the bureaucracy,' said Day, who is the MLA for Courtenay-Comox. Premier David Eby and Health Minister Josie Osborne have called for an overhaul of the expensive drug treatment for rare diseases approval process after their government faced public backlash for discontinuing the $800,000-a-year drug treatment for 10-year-old Pollock, who has an incurable degenerative disease. When the government reversed their decision last month — against the advice of its own 58-member advisory committee — Eby said it was obvious the system was not working. But the B.C. government had already received recommendations in 2021 for better transparency, clearer communication and stronger decision-making when it comes to funding and treating rare diseases with expensive drugs. These are the same areas that Eby and Osborne said need to be addressed. The review noted there was 'urgency' to making changes because spending on expensive rare-disease drugs was expected to grow significantly , to an estimated $600 million annually by the end of the decade. Day said the NDP government should release the full 2021 review with a status update on what has and hasn't been implemented. He also called for a public timeline to fully implement the outstanding recommendations, prioritizing oversight, transparency and patient engagement. Day also said that families need to be included in conversations and decisions that directly affect access to their expensive rare-disease drug treatments. Few of the 2021 review's recommendations have been implemented, according to those familiar with the report. The B.C. Ministry of Health has told Postmedia the 'majority' of the report's recommendations have been implemented or 'are part of ongoing work.' However, officials pointed only to only two that have been completed out of more than 300 recommendations: an expensive drug for rare disease web page it said supports transparency; and the establishment of an appeal process. The recommendations on transparency in the report — there are 39 mentions — go well beyond a website. They also involve increasing oversight, setting standards, establishing public engagement and a major communication plan. ghoekstra@
