Canadians deserve better health care. Patient’s Medical Home can get us there
I became a family doctor because providing comprehensive, compassionate care gave me meaning. In the small community I served in Twillingate, N.L., I have watched infants I cared for grow up and I’ve watched people reach the end of their lives. I am a part of this community and the relationships I’ve developed are central […]
We’re putting mental health at the forefront
Many years ago, C.S. Lewis lamented that it’s “easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken.’” Decades later, his remarks speak to a fundamental truth about mental health: many still don’t think of it as health at all. As our government works to ensure Canada’s health-care system remains a […]
Bill that could expand pool of organ donors receives all-party support, but risks failing to pass before election
A Conservative private member’s bill that would offer Canadians another way to sign up to become organ donors has received the support of all federal parties, although its sponsor is worried that it may not become law before Parliament is dissolved ahead of next year’s federal election. Bill C-316, An Act to amend the Canada […]
Why is Health Canada thwarting Parliament’s will?
The problem of regulators becoming captives of the regulated is not new. It’s the idea that a regulator is basically an instrument of the industry it’s meant to regulate. Former Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft wrote about it in his book Oil’s Deep State. I see it all around us—in the National Energy Board approach […]
Health
Sharing the true struggle of mental illness essential to ending stigma
I’m often asked why I decided to make a film about mental illness and stigma. I’ve made films on pedophiles luring our children, on cybersex addiction, on high school girls that were convinced to have sexual relations with a teacher. But no one ever asked why I made them. In that question itself, stigma is […]
Why revamping Canada’s Food Guide is so crucial
It is difficult for most Canadians to eat healthy. The places where we live, work, and play surround us with the types of food that make for unbalanced, highly processed diets. Further aggravating Canadians’ efforts to eat well, the governmental approach to address this challenge has been to focus largely on educating people to eat […]
‘Recreational marijuana is now officially legal in Canada. What do you think of the roll-out so far?’
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Consumption rates of recreational marijuana among Canadian youth are among the highest in the developed world. Every year, billions of dollars pour into the pockets of organized crime due to the failed policy of prohibition. Experts agreed that the government should develop a new system to protect young people and our […]
Liberals’ approach to the North is people-driven
Our government’s approach to the North is very much people-driven. Since coming into office in the fall of 2015, the government has made a substantial increase to the Northern Residents Deduction, targeted the Canada Child Benefit to those who need it most, and changed the rules around the Canada Workers Benefit to make it more […]
Health Canada parts ways with partner in cannabis-education campaign over links to opioid manufacturer
A group that partnered with Health Canada to hand out thousands of educational brochures on cannabis decided to scrap its distribution deal after the government added clauses barring it from accepting funds from pharmaceutical and cannabis companies. Drug Free Kids Canada (DFK), a registered charity, developed the Cannabis Talk Kit, a 24-page booklet designed to […]
