Health minister’s claims about Ottawa’s pharmacare plan deserve a second look
With the release of Dr. Eric Hoskins’ report on June 12, national pharmacare will likely be a central issue in this fall’s federal election. It’s therefore quite worrying that Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor recently made several statements on CTV’s Question Period that are either misinformed or purposefully misleading. The minister began the interview by […]
Dramatic spike in teen vaping and smoking requires urgent legislative remedies
A new study published in the British Medical Journal shows a dramatic spike in vaping among Canadian teens, coupled with a simultaneous increase in smoking traditional cigarettes. The study is the first to provide insight into the early impacts of the federal legislation that opened the Canadian market to the large players in the vaping […]
Liberals’ public opinion research spending bump an electoral boost, says strategist
Public opinion research spending climbed to $15.3-million during the 2018-19 fiscal year, according to a report by Public Services and Procurement Canada. This brings an end to the Liberals’ two-year decline in spending since 2016, with spending this year topping 2017-18 costs by $3.4-million. According to Conservative strategist Dennis Matthews, a vice-president of marketing and […]
Canada must stop ignoring its debt of justice to Grassy Narrows
International human rights standards shine a light on some of the most important, urgent, and fundamental responsibilities of governments. That’s why it’s so significant that last week, in two separate statements, the United Nation’s top expert advisers on the right to health and on the human rights impacts of toxic contamination both called out Canada’s […]
Pharmacare debate a symptom of chronic electoral grandstanding
OTTAWA—On June 12, an advisory council appointed by the Trudeau government recommended the establishment of a universal, single-payer public pharmacare system. When fully actualized in 2027, it is estimated it would cost $15-billion dollars per year. The council was led by Dr. Eric Hoskins, a former Ontario health minister. Hoskins is a well-respected physician and […]
Grief is not an easy path, but it doesn’t have to be walked alone
OTTAWA—When I was a teenager, my 80-year-old grandfather told me “the hardest part about growing old is burying your friends.” The most striking loss he faced was the death of a friend who had been an Olympic gold medal winner, whom he thought would outlive him. But I came to believe I would not have […]
Liberal action absent North of the 60th
There were two problems with Justin Trudeau’s recent apology to the Inuit for the federal government’s treatment of tuberculosis patients. Firstly, it left the Dene and others who suffered under similar policies feeling forgotten again. An apology should do no further harm. Secondly, like so much this government does, the apology was a symbolic gesture […]
Canadian pharmacy shelves could run out of crucial medicines due to U.S. laws
U.S. lawmakers in 16 states have introduced bills to facilitate wholesale importation of pharmaceutical products from Canada. Vermont actually has a law on the books and the Florida and Colorado governors have signed legislation. The intention is to make lower-priced medicines available to Americans. New state laws allowing importation would only require the approval of the federal Secretary […]
Canadians want more mental health services. Employee health plans shouldn’t stand in their way
Mental health is a priority. That’s what I hear all around me—on the news, on social media, from all levels of government, and in my day-to-day life as a mental health counsellor. While our governments acknowledge that mental health is a part of our overall wellbeing and health, and they support mental health promotions in […]
We can, and must, act to stop climate change in its tracks
Today we think the coffee we enjoy every morning is a given. But is the supply of clean water and coffee beans inexhaustible and readily available in the decades to come? Many take it for granted that it will. Unfortunately, facts say otherwise. A recent UN report on the state of our natural world shows […]
