OTTAWA – The Conservative government will fund clinical trials of a controversial multiple sclerosis treatment — often referred to as the "liberation treatment" — after it heard new scientific information this month…NDP health critic Libby Davies said she expects public and political pressure to mount because people want more details about when trials will begin.

From climate change and fracking, to the role of the federal government in health care and a national independent science advisor: What do the Federal Health Minister and health critics of our major political parties think about the biggest health and science questions facing the nation? Maclean's Science-ish gathered questions from leading Canadian scientists, health researchers and health professionals, and put them to the Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, the Federal NDP Health Critic Libby Davies and Federal Liberal Health Critic Hedy Fry.

Libby Davies, the NDP MP for Vancouver East for since 1997, won’t be running for the party in the 2015 federal election. Currently the party’s deputy leader and health critic, Davies made the announcement from her constituency office in Vancouver, saying that after 18 years as the riding’s MP it was simply time to call it a day. “It has been the most extraordinary experience to represent the people of Vancouver East. I have loved my work both in the community and in Ottawa and I thank the good folks of East Vancouver who elected me six times as their representative,” she said in her official statement. “Over the years, I have taken on tough issues like the need for drug policy reform and I remember being told, ‘You’ll never get re-elected if you take on issues like this.’ But the people of East Vancouver have stood by me. I deeply appreciate how they have placed their support and confidence in me throughout my many years in office.” Davies concluded her statement by calling Thomas Muclair a “a strong and committed leader” and adding that she was confident he would help the party form the country’s first social democratic government.

Veteran Member of Parliament and deputy leader of the NDP, Libby Davies, will not be running for re-election. Ms. Davies, 61, was first elected as the MP for Vancouver East in 1997 and was re-elected five times. She made the announcement Friday at her constituency office. "I'm a bit tired," Ms. Davies said during a news conference in her constituency office, when asked why she was retiring from federal politics. Adding in stints in municipal politics, Ms. Davies noted she has been in public life for almost 40 years. She ran twice for Vancouver city council in the 1970s and was elected to parks board in 1980 and elected to city council in 1980. "I really feel it's time to call it a day. It's really a personal decision just about timing and contemplating if I want to go in another election and realizing once we have the election and, hopefully if I had been re-elected, it would be possibly another four years." The former Vancouver city councillor is known as a strong voice for the left wing of the NDP. In addition to serving as one of three deputy leaders to party leader Thomas Mulcair, Ms. Davies is also the party's health critic.