Canada’s missing life sciences industrial strategy is leaving economic growth on the table
The federal Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, released in 2021, did not result in needed policy changes or alignment of federal departments and investments. In contrast, other top-tier countries place life sciences at the centre of industrial strategies and align the sector with talent, trade, research and development, innovation and infrastructure.
Lack of flexibility, questions about long-term funding have been stumbling blocks in signing pharmacare deals, say some premiers
Seven provinces and two territories don’t yet have deals even though Prime Minister Mark Carney said last fall that his government is committed to signing more agreements.
‘It’s like molasses in January’: pharmacare implementation stalled, say health-care groups, but others argue time needed to get deals right
Only British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and the Yukon have reached pharmacare deals with the federal government, covering contraception and diabetes medications.
PHAC lacks timely national data on children’s vaccination rates as report finds agency is not meeting targets
The agency’s 2024-25 departmental results report uses rates from a 2021 survey. Newer data is available, but that source doesn’t include rates from all provinces and territories.
PMPRB closes all open drug-pricing investigations before implementing new guidelines on Jan. 1
But that doesn’t mean the drug pricing tribunal can’t look at past years’ data to inform future reviews of drug prices, says director general Guillaume Couillard.
New report recommends making pharmacare permanent with annual funding as progress on bilaterals remains stalled
Interim NDP leader Don Davies says the feds must continue negotiating deals with provinces and territories under the pharmacare law passed last year.
Canada’s research strength is world-class—now we need to all pull in the same direction
Our innovation system remains fragmented. Partnerships between universities, industry and government are often too ad hoc, funding cycles are short, and incentives are often misaligned.
Canada could have access to more than 10,000 doctors if licensing were less complicated, House Health Committee hears
The House Health Committee is looking into the links between immigration and health human resources shortages. But Liberal MP Mark Powlowski says the Conservatives’ language on this ‘ticks’ him off as it suggests the problem in health care is a result of too many immigrants, which ‘is clearly wrong.’
CMA leads health lobbying in lead up to budget
MPs have been on the Hill for less than three months this year thanks to prorogation this past winter and the spring election campaign, making lobbying a challenge in 2025.
Stakeholders lament lack of timelines, ‘concrete’ action plans for fixing health care after ministers’ annual meeting
Health Minister Marjorie Michel said something could happen with pan-Canadian licensure for doctors in 2026 but the organization responsible for this work isn’t making any promises.
