Thanks to the internet, immunization is now controversial
OTTAWA—One of the benefits of social media is being able to maintain contact with old friends from around the world. As graduates of a high school in Montreal half a century ago, many of my former classmates followed the exodus out of Quebec in the 1970s and 1980s and now live in Toronto, Vancouver, and […]
Without new funding, key part of Canada’s stem cell research ecosystem to close
Health care in Canada sits upon a precipice. We are faced with a looming crisis as costs for degenerative disease nears $200-billion each year and hospitals struggle to contend with chronic overcapacity. And yet, at no time before has there been so much promise for new and innovative therapies—many of which will provide treatments for […]
Climate change is a health emergency
The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on 1.5 degrees warned that failing to reach Paris targets would cause health crises in many parts of the world. Globally, we can expect an increase in malaria and dengue fever, as well as a shift northward in the geographic range of those diseases. The […]
Canadians need to be aware that even just one use of crystal meth can cause an addiction, ruin your life, or end your life
It was just two months ago that I visited Winnipeg to learn more about the methamphetamine epidemic being experienced there. The House Health Committee had begun a study on the subject and several MPs from the area had spoken about the urgent crisis taking place. Methamphetamine or crystal meth as it is called, has been […]
Addressing autism requires extraordinary collaboration, policy innovation
The “Bell Let’s Talk Day” brought again to the attention of Canadians the crisis and stories of mental health. Almost all of us are affected one way or the other. In each of our circles of relationships, families, neighbourhoods, workplaces, communities, we are touched by the crushing reality of mental illness and the need for […]
The national food policy, not food guide, could be the most important change to the feds’ approach to nutrition
The new Canada Food Guide is a step forward in getting Canadians to eat healthier, experts say, but the Liberal government’s upcoming national food policy could pack more punch in improving the country’s nutritional health. Advocates are hopeful that a national food policy set to be released this year can tackle the issue of food […]
Canada’s new Food Guide gives Canadians the tools they need to eat healthy
As one of the most recognizable items the government publishes, Canadians have a special affinity for Canada’s Food Guide. Many remember the first time they saw it in school, or when their parents put it up on the fridge. It is now the second most downloaded government document, behind only the income tax forms (and […]
‘The time for action is now’ stakeholders and opposition critics await government’s next move on palliative care
A national advocacy group and Conservative health critic Marilyn Gladu are anxiously waiting to find out who will head Health Canada’s new palliative care secretariat, but Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor isn’t giving any hints about when their appointment will be made or the implementation plan announced, only saying it will be soon. “It’ll be […]
Concessions in renegotiated NAFTA will lead to ‘extra cost’ for Canadians and a potential pharmacare plan, but an expert says it could’ve been worse
Increased protection of innovative drugs will lead to an added cost for Canadians, but the trade concession doesn’t infringe on Canada’s ability to implement a national pharmacare plan, says an industry expert. Since the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was drafted at the end of September, there have been questions on how intellectual property changes will […]
Prescription for savings: how the feds can make pharmacare work for households and employers
Recent polling has revealed a growing proportion of Canadians are $200 or less away from financial insolvency at month-end, inching up six percentage points to 46 per cent in the last quarter of 2018. An additional 45 per cent of those surveyed by Ipsos on behalf of insolvency firm MNP Ltd. indicated that, to pay […]
