Cancer patients must not become collateral damage in fight against pandemic
COVID-19 has created a crisis for Canadian cancer patients, who have faced extraordinary uncertainty —beginning with surgery delays last March that impacted hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled up to 38 per cent of all cancer surgeries. If we are to minimize the now well-documented burdens of COVID-19 on cancer patients, governments must support […]
Canada’s health security depends on increased support for high-risk, high-reward scientific research
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fact that Canada lacks biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capacity. At the same time, it has highlighted Canada’s strengths in biopharmaceutical innovation. A critical component of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine —and one of the first therapeutic antibodies to treat SARS-CoV-2 infected patients—were developed in Canada. Canada’s biomedical community can clearly […]
Alberta MP launches petition to ban use of the term ‘assault rifle’
Alberta Conservative MP David Yurdiga launched a petition March 3 seeking to stop use of the term “assault rifle” in the House of Commons when it comes to conversations about guns, calling it a scare tactic used to “demonize all guns,” reports Fort McMurray Today. The MP for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, Alta., posted the petition to […]
Newfoundland and Labrador’s suspended animation continues, raising new questions
OTTAWA—As the self-appointed Hill Times correspondent for Newfoundland and Labrador, it is my duty to report to you that our provincial election is still going on. In fact, results will likely not be known until early to mid-April. Just a reminder it was called Jan. 15. Yes, Jan. 15, and was originally supposed to conclude […]
When will the world see Canada’s grounded top diplomat in person?
Three months into his new cabinet role as Canada’s top diplomat, Marc Garneau has yet to embark outside the Canadian border amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. International trips are a common practice for foreign affairs ministers as they build diplomatic links and strengthen Canada’s global standing. In place of foreign travel, Mr. Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) […]
Not open to interpretation: virtual Parliament exacerbates pre-existing issues with vital service
Parliament’s shift to hybrid virtual proceedings as a result of COVID-19 has led to a spike in injuries for Hill interpreters, and in turn, has exposed and exacerbated pre-existing shortfalls with the “essential” service—shortfalls that MPs, industry advocates, and others are looking to address. “It [COVID] has certainly exacerbated the underlying issue of the challenges […]
Rising to the challenge of facing inequities in health research
At a time when humanity copes with a once in a century public health crisis, the theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021 carried a poignant resonance: “#ChooseToChallenge.” As IWD organizers describe it: “We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate […]
In historic first, MPs to use remote-voting app as pandemic continues to rage
MPs are poised to hold their first-ever vote using an app developed by the House administration on Monday, marking another milestone in Parliament’s efforts to adapt to the constraints of the pandemic. Whereas roll-call Zoom votes on a single issue during the pandemic can take up to an hour to complete, the adoption of the […]
In a COVID election, all bets are off now
Three elections and three majority governments sent the message that a government managing COVID-19 is rewarded by the voters. That was the general school of thought when Newfoundland and Labrador called its COVID election. But the arrival of the variant crisis has changed all that. The Newfoundland and Labrador government was forced to call an […]
NDP to press for restoring access to on-campus voting during pandemic
The NDP says it plans to press for restoring access to on-campus voting for students, after Elections Canada moved last year to scrap the program due to the pandemic. NDP MP Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood-Transcona, Man.) said it’s still unclear whether his party will push to include an amendment to the feds’ elections bill that would […]
