Save the COVID blame game for happier times
CHELSEA, QUE.—Who is to blame for the ineptitude, delay, and confusion that has marked Canada’s response to COVID-19? The provinces (insert premier’s name here) for caring more about keeping bars, restaurants and schools open than keeping citizens safe? That all-purpose scapegoat, the federal government, for being three months late in taking the virus seriously, for […]
Canada needs to bring accountability to suicide prevention
Approximately 4,000 Canadians die by suicide every year. From age 10 to 34, suicide is consistently the second leading cause of death in Canada behind accidental death. Some of our northern communities have suicide rates that are among the highest in the world. While the suicide rate in Canada has remained relatively stable over the last 50 years, […]
‘There needs to be real honesty from our leaders’: feds can’t falter on ‘once-in-a-decade’ investment opportunity in reshaping economy, say top experts
Confronting the immediate economic fallout from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will be the primary focus of the federal government in the weeks and months to come, according to experts and economists, especially as the ‘second wave’ is likely to flatten any economic growth Canada has seen following the reopening of major parts of the economy […]
Stigma and the opioid epidemic
KINGSTON, ONT.—The extent to which social stigma undermines access to care and a coordinated public health response are important topics in light of the growing opioid crisis. Thinking has been divided. In the first camp, rising opioid deaths are viewed as an important public health crisis and opioid use as a treatable medical condition. Harm […]
Our COVID-19 journey seems infinite, but remember to check in on the mental health of others
OTTAWA—How are you doing? Thankfully, that’s a question I believe people are genuinely asking as they do a check on the mental health of others during this pandemic. Perhaps, for the first time in a global crisis, people are embracing the importance of speaking openly about the previously invisible struggles they’re having. The stiff upper […]
Improved mental health access tied to workforce capacity
Canadians’ mental health has faced significant challenges during the pandemic. Stress has gone up, whether from uncertainty or from very serious problems such as job loss and the dramatic rise in violence against women, which the UN has called the shadow pandemic. Canadians are drinking more and the opioid crisis has gotten worse despite the […]
Mental Health Policy Briefing
Consider the costs of not acting on mental health
Mental health was dubbed the poor cousin of health care as a result of the 2006 Senate report, Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada. Two weeks ago, the government acknowledged the urgent need to remedy the inadequacy and inaccessibility of mental health services. Canada is recognized internationally for our […]
‘We have learned a great deal’: Green leadership race winds down after hitting some stumbles
As the Green Party enters into the home stretch of its leadership race this weekend, the group will be reflecting on the stumbles that have taken place, which could bring about changes to its governance structure, says one party official. “We have learned a great deal. I think it’s fair to say that, when you […]
Let’s not turn COVID-19 fight into Canadian versus Canadian
OTTAWA—Last week in this space, I wrote about the need to consider gradually opening the Atlantic Bubble. Let me just say, the reaction from my home region was not overwhelmingly positive. Note the sarcasm—if they could have burned me in effigy, they would have. I had not been called some of the names I was […]
