
Winnipeg MP Gazan seeks emergency debate on wildfires
Leah Gazan, who represents Winnipeg Centre, shared a letter with media organizations that she sent to Francis Scarpaleggia on Monday morning.
'Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency for the next month and are now appealing for international assistance to contain the fires. Despite the heroic efforts of front-line workers — firefighters, nurses, doctors and volunteers — the response system has proven inadequate in addressing the urgent needs of evacuees, particularly in Indigenous communities,' the NDP MP wrote.
'This is not the first time First Nations have been left behind during climate emergencies. The federal government has repeatedly failed to ensure that remote and northern communities have access to reliable emergency preparedness infrastructure and evacuation support.'
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CTV News
10 hours ago
- CTV News
Federal health minister non-committal on signing more pharmacare deals
OTTAWA — Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel is not committing to sign pharmacare funding deals with all provinces and territories. The first phase of the pharmacare law that was passed by the Trudeau Liberals last fall calls on Ottawa to cover the cost of contraceptives and diabetes medications for patients. The previous government signed deals with P.E.I., B.C., Manitoba and Yukon to do just that before the spring election. The Liberals promised during the election campaign to protect the pharmacare program, along with other social programs. At a press conference in New Brunswick this week, when asked why talks weren't progressing with the remaining provinces, Michel said that this is a new government in a new context. A spokesperson for the minister says the government will protect the four deals that have been signed but did not say whether the Liberals plan to sign new agreements. 'Our new government will be there to discuss with our provincial and territorial partners how we can support them for better health outcomes for Canadians,' said Emilie Gauduchon-Campbell in an email. The Canadian Health Coalition pointed out that $1.5 billion was set aside to fund the agreements in the last federal budget, and the Liberals pledged to keep the program during the election. 'I don't think anybody voted for cuts to health care, including pharmacare,' said Steven Staples, the group's national director of policy and advocacy. The NDP, which pushed for the creation of the pharmacare program through its supply-and-confidence deal with the Trudeau Liberals last year, accused the government of breaking a campaign promise. 'We call on (Prime Minister) Mark Carney immediately to get back on track and honour the law we passed last Parliament,' said NDP interim leader Don Davies in a statement. 'We call on him to finalize Pharmacare agreements with all remaining provinces and territories and allocate the funding Liberals promised so that no Canadian has to choose between life-saving medicine and putting food on the table.' Michel's comments were first reported by the Telegraph-Journal, which cited an interview with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, who said her government had not heard from Ottawa since the election. Holt's provincial Liberals ran in an election campaign last year on a promise to cover the cost of contraceptives. New Brunswick has not signed a pharmacare deal. Former health minister Mark Holland suggested last winter that he wouldn't have enough time to negotiate the deals before the election, which most polls at the time predicted the Conservatives would win handily. Holland and the NDP warned that the Conservatives would cut the program. 'There's no room for politics in this. It's just logic. It's the thing we must do for this country,' Holland said as he announced the first deal with Manitoba, worth $219 million, in late February. Carney's government, though, has warned that spending cuts are coming as it refocuses its energy on the economy and national defence. Premiers at the Council of the Federation meetings this week in Ontario said health care is a priority, but it got only a brief mention in their final statement on Wednesday. The premiers said they're exploring avenues to improve access to medications but did not mention pharmacare specifically. At a closing press conference, P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, the incoming chair of the Council of the Federation, spoke about the group's history as 'a venue to lobby for more health transfers.' Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the country's universal health care system is a point of national pride. 'If we want to say that we're standing up to (U.S. President) Donald Trump and we're never going to be the 51st state, let's make sure that our universal health system is strong and supports Canadians in every region of the country. And I think we have a good partner in the prime minister right now to advance that project,' Kinew said. The premiers told reporters the group did not talk about health care with Carney on Tuesday, when he joined their meetings to talk about the trade war with the U.S. Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press


National Observer
11 hours ago
- National Observer
Carney talking major projects with Inuit leaders in Inuvik
An Inuit leader who met Thursday with Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the federal government's controversial major projects legislation says he has been assured the bill respects treaty rights. Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, told reporters in Inuvik, N.W.T., that leaders attending the meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee with Carney have had a "fulsome conversation" about Bill C-5. "We've had reassurances that the bill … will not interrupt the processes under our modern treaties and that there will be full partnership of Inuit within these processes," he said. Carney spent much of Thursday meeting with Inuit leaders to discuss the legislation, also known as the One Canadian Economy Act. Ahead of the meeting, Inuit leaders said they had a lot to work through with the federal government. During an afternoon break in the meeting, Obed said Carney was unequivocal in saying the legislation would not violate modern treaties. "When it comes to project reviews, the focus has been on what types of nation-building projects are Inuit interested in building, how can we identify those projects together, and then, how can we make good on those projects by implementing them," he said. Inuit leaders said they've received reassurances that the bill will not interrupt the processes under their modern treaties with Canada, and that their people will be invited to participate in full partnership with Carney's government. "So the prime minister and his cabinet ministers couldn't have been any clearer in their assurances to Inuit leadership about the upholding of the constitutionally protected agreements that we have with the Crown." The recently passed One Canadian Economy Act gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it considers to be in the national interest by sidestepping environmental protections and other legislation. Some Indigenous leaders have accused the federal government of failing to consult with them adequately when the legislation was being drafted and amended. Obed previously criticized the federal government over the legislation and told senators studying it last month that Ottawa has been hypocritical in its approach to reconciliation. He said at the time the legislation doesn't respect Indigenous Peoples' rights and warned that fast-tracked projects could end up before the courts. One court challenge has already been launched by First Nations asking a judge to find the legislation unconstitutional. Carney promised the day the bill was passed to hold talks with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders to get input on how projects can proceed. After Carney met with First Nations leaders in Ottawa last week, some chiefs said they were left with more questions than answers and no clear idea of how the government plans to implement its agenda. In his opening remarks Thursday, Carney said there's much work to be done on closing infrastructure gaps and improving social services in the Arctic, and warned that the region's security is under threat. He also insisted that Bill C-5 "fully respects" treaty rights. "It fully respects treaty-based environmental assessment processes," said Carney. "In fact, those will be essential for anything that we move forward. "What the act does is it creates conditions for the federal government to be more effective and efficient in our part of the partnership." Several cabinet ministers, including Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, also attended Thursday's meeting. — With files from Alessia Passafiume and Dylan Robertson in Ottawa.


CBC
11 hours ago
- CBC
Manitoba's governing New Democrats name real estate agent as candidate for upcoming Spruce Woods byelection
Manitoba's governing New Democrats have nominated a candidate for an upcoming byelection in the Spruce Woods constituency. Ray Berthelette, a real estate agent and former assistant to cabinet minister Glen Simard, is to carry the NDP banner in the race. The seat in western Manitoba is a longtime Progressive Conservative stronghold, and the Tories captured more than 60 per cent of the vote there in the 2023 provincial election. The Tories have chosen Colleen Robbins, a longtime party volunteer, while the Liberals have selected teacher Stephen Reid. The byelection is being held to replace Grant Jackson, a Tory who resigned in March to run for federal office. A date for the byelection has not been set, but under provincial law it must be held by Sept. 16.