[EBT]

For those interested, here is a link to Carney's press conference at the conclusion of the APEC conference in Korea:

As I noted in the Trump thread, Carney admits he apologized to Trump for the Ford ad. Carney was asked if he saw the ad before it aired, and he said yes, and claims he told Doug Ford he did not want to see it aired. Let's see what Doug has to say about that now! I find it hard to believe Ford would defy Carney, but that is what Carney is now claiming. If it is true that Carney told Ford he did not want the ad aired, it just goes to show that Carney is too afraid, for whatever reason, to mount even the mildest pushback against Trump. Instead, Carney chooses to lie prostrate in front of Trump and let Trump take kicks at him. Forget about "elbows up." Carney can't even stand up on his own two feet next to Trump.

It is difficult to watch because Carney answers each question with bafflegab, but I watched the entire press conference, so you don't have to. I hate it when a politician can't answer a direct question without obfuscation. As much as I hate Trump, his one good quality - probably the only one - is Trump answers direct questions DIRECTLY. He doesn't GAF!

 

[Northern Light]

Really good article in the Globe yesterday on Canada's process for approving and publicly funding new drugs, particularly oncology (cancer) drugs.

Canadians can wait years to get drugs regulators have already deemed safe. Why?

Even after treatments pass Health Canada’s review, getting them publicly reimbursed here takes longer than any other G7 country

www.theglobeandmail.com

The process takes too long, though we appear to be making progress on that; this is both a federal and a provincial issue.

The story follows one particular drug that can be life saving for people with myeloma but which is not publicly funded in Canada as price negotiations have broken down after more than 2 years.

The sticker price is well over $600,000 a dose; though the way this particular drug works (genetic therapy) its a single-dose treatment.

The provinces seem to be aiming to negotiate that down to ~$150,000 per...and the manufacturer is not willing to go that low. (we don't know the exact details of the negotiation, but a target was set of 72 to 80% discount off the initial price.

****

I have sympathy with our regulators here, who are tasked with value for money; but even more for patients whose lives hang in the balance.

So long as we (as a country) are paying no more than our peers, I think we should find our way round to paying. If there is a sincere belief that that the manufacturer is mooching, then I think we need provisions in law for revoking their patent and licensing someone else to make the drug.

 

[DSCToronto]

This piece on CNN illustrates the virtual impossibility of negotiating with Trump.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/01/business/tariff-strategy-trump-canada-china

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

^...he's a very horrible person. I think that's something we can mostly agree with.

 

[afransen]

his one good quality - probably the only one - is Trump answers direct questions DIRECTLY.

He does? If he doesn't like a question, he usually engages in ad hominem against the questioner, their organization, etc. and rant about something unrelated.

 

[guavadelic]

Not sure how you negotiate a trade deal with these guys...

"This prime minister of Ontario, who I imagine is smarting quite a bit from the Blue Jays loss last night, spent $75m trying to sway US public opinion. This is foreign interference in US public policy. A price has got to be paid for this."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1985013856343597530

 

[Mihairokov]

Not sure how you negotiate a trade deal with these guys...

You don't. That's why we're negotiating with literally every other country in the world outside of them.

 

[afransen]

We're waiting the US out. Either the institutions of the US start to correct for Trump's overreach, or that country is sliding into authoritarianism and we should be trying to insulate ourselves to the extent possible while they self-immolate.

 

[zang]

We're waiting the US out. Either the institutions of the US start to correct for Trump's overreach, or that country is sliding into authoritarianism and we should be trying to insulate ourselves to the extent possible while they self-immolate.

You forgot the third option; they completely collapse into separate coalitions of states.