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Jagmeet Singh says the Liberals must pass pharmacare legislation this year — but health minister makes no promises

The minister has defended his actions, stating he does not provide direction to the board but does participate in consultations before new guidelines for drug prices are issued. On Tuesday, Duclos’s office said it was the minister’s “duty to work with all actors, from patients and … the industry, to make sure Canadians have access to the medication and vaccines they need.”

Even so, there’s “no doubt that Minister Duclos and the Liberal government are being pressured by other forces,” Davies said.

“What we want to do is add some pressure on the other side of this. Do I trust them? Yes. And I hope that they will do the right thing.”

Drug-price regulator sought meetings with health minister to discuss reforms, documents show

The letter is at the heart of an investigation by the health committee, launched earlier this year at the request of NDP MP Don Davies, who alleged Mr. Duclos interfered with the independence of the drug regulator when he asked Prof. Bourassa Forcier to suspend the consultation.

Mr. Duclos has denied acting inappropriately, and his office declined to comment on the newly released documents when asked by The Globe and Mail.

Health Committee tries to cut through contradictions and confusion over reforms to drug prices regulator

Recent testimony at the House Heath Committee by the health minister and former members of an organization that regulates drug prices in Canada has left members grappling with “two thoroughly contradictory versions of events,” says NDP MP Don Davies.

Federal NDP health critic Don Davies to speak about health crisis at The Hub in St. John's May 6

Federal NDP health critic Don Davies to speak about health crisis at The Hub in St. John's May 6

Insiders say federal health minister interfered with drug price regulator

Two former insiders at Canada’s drug price regulator testified Tuesday that interference from federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos raised questions about the government’s closeness to the pharmaceuticals industry and jeopardized efforts to control spiralling prescription drug prices.

Douglas Clark, the executive director of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, told the House of Commons health committee on Tuesday that he was taken aback when Mr. Duclos sent a letter in November asking the agency to suspend its public consultations on price reforms. Mr. Clark said such a suspension was “precisely what the industry had called for.”

Committee weighs bill to make feds accountable to Parliament on future pandemic plans

"I totally support the pandemic prevention preparedness plan, and couldn't be more opposed to the review provision of the bill," NDP health critic Don Davies told the committee.

New dental care program should give First Nations benefits more teeth: NDP

Dental benefits for Indigenous people should be improved if the new national dental insurance plan offers better or more accessible services, NDP health critic Don Davies said Wednesday.

Dental hygienists prepare for influx of people who haven’t had teeth cleaned for years

Dental hygienists are preparing for an influx of Canadians who haven’t been able to afford to have their teeth professionally cleaned for years – or even decades – when the federal dental plan rolls out.

Don Davies, NDP health critic, said the plan was meeting a “chronic unmet primary health care” need.

Egyptian asylum seekers say border agency is being Islamophobic after delays over refugee bids

Elserafy and other Egyptian asylum seekers spoke Monday alongside New Democrat MP Don Davies at his constituency office in Vancouver, criticizing the CBSA's treatment of recent claimants affiliated with the Freedom and Justice Party and the potential denial of their refugee bids.

"We urge the government to ensure that Canada remains a welcoming place for refugees, especially for those who advocate for democracy in their own country," Davies said.

Egyptian asylum-seekers decry ‘Islamophobia’ by Canada’s border agency

Davies said at the press conference at his office that the CBSA was being deeply unfair, because it “misuses” the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to deny protection “based solely” on applicants’ links to a political party.

“We are a G7 country,” Davies said. “We are a country of immigrants and refugees. It’s unacceptable that people have to wait five years to have a decision. You can see the destructive impact that this has on families as everything in their life is put on hold.”