Scrapped sugar tax won't hurt glucose monitoring program, says health minister

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 9:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Days aft Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan promised to scrap the sweetener tax, the province's wellness curate promised the programme it helped money volition beryllium harmless from cuts.

The Sweetened Beverage Tax, besides known arsenic the sweetener tax, added 20 cents to the outgo of each litre of sweetener sweetened beverages and brought successful astir $12-million annually.

On Wednesday successful the House of Assembly, NDP MHA Jordan Brown raised concerns for the aboriginal of programs the taxation helped fund, including the glucose monitoring aviator program.

Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell says that program is safe.

"There volition beryllium nary cuts to programming connected our continuous glucose monitoring," Howell told reporters connected Wednesday.

"Actually we've had immoderate large results from our aviator project, and enactment tuned due to the fact that wrong a week oregon truthful we're hoping to marque an announcement connected however we tin grow that."

The Department of Health has antithetic ways it allocates funding, and the glucose monitoring aviator programme is simply a priority, she added.

Brown besides asked if the provincial authorities would motion connected to the national pharmacare program.

"Will you yet motion connected to the national pharmacare program, which includes backing for medications, glucose monitoring and trial strips," helium asked.

Howell said she's looking guardant to speaking to the caller national wellness minister.

"We cognize that pharmacare is thing that volition payment individuals each crossed this country. Newfoundland and Labrador volition not beryllium near behind," she said.

Comments withdrawn

On different topic, PC MHA Lin Paddock withdrew a remark helium made Tuesday successful the House erstwhile helium accused the governing Liberals of "cooking the books" and called for the firing of Finance Minister Siobhan Coady.

Paddock's comments stemmed from a CBC News communicative connected however the provincial authorities utilized decades of aboriginal gross from a pending colony with baccy companies against the province's shortage successful a pre-election budget.

A constituent of bid was aboriginal called by the Liberal Party, but Paddock withdrew his comments earlier Speaker Derek Bennett could denote his determination connected whether oregon not the remark was unparliamentary.

Paddock reiterated his concerns astir however the baccy colony impacted the province's deficit, repeatedly asking Coady to authorities what the shortage would person been without the money.

"Let maine rephrase that question truthful we tin perchance get a fig — if the baccy colony gross is not included, what would beryllium the shortage for this fiscal year?" helium asked connected Wednesday.

Coady wouldn't connection a wide answer.

"You marque decisions based connected the accusation that you have, whether gross you have, what expenses you have, what programs and services you would similar to introduce," she said.

The 2025 budget, which has not yet passed successful the House, projected a $372-million deficit, and the state is expected to person a net payment of astir $400 cardinal from the baccy settlement.

Without the windfall baccy cash, the province's projected deficit could person been roughly doubled.

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