Federal health agencies failing on Indigenous reconciliation, external review finds
A recent external review commissioned by Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor found the government’s arm’s-length pan-Canadian health organizations to be laggards when it comes to engaging with Indigenous groups and communities, something the minister says needs to change. The reviewers’ report, which looked at the role and function of eight pan-Canadian health organizations (PCHOs), found […]
Minister wants tobacco plain-packaging bill passed by summer
Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor says she wants to see a heavily-lobbied bill that proposes to standardize plain packaging for cigarettes finally passed before summer after nearly two years of study by legislators. Bill S-5, introduced by the government Senate representative in November 2016 and now back in the House after committee study, having already […]
Women’s work across every aspect of health care largely invisible
Sometimes an issue can be so pervasive that it is rendered nearly invisible. Take, for instance, the gender of the health workforce. Women comprise 82 per cent of health workers in Canada, in contrast to 47 per cent in the total labour force. This surpasses the global rate of 70 per cent. From 1997 to […]
Seniors’ issues shouldn’t be in ‘silo,’ says health minister facing calls for national strategy
Advocates and politicians are calling on the Trudeau government to take a leadership role in improving the lives of seniors, saying more program co-ordination is needed for citizens over 65, but Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor is defending the Liberals’ multi-departmental approach, shooting down a proposed idea of a dedicated ministry or department. “I always […]
Pharmacare ‘feels closer now than ever before,’ but advocacy groups split on design
While supporters of a national pharmacare plan agree a government-funded strategy is necessary to increase the accessibility of prescription drugs, there’s no consensus on how to get there as stakeholders await further details on the role of the government’s pharmacare point man. Former Ontario Liberal health minister Eric Hoskins was rolled out on Feb. 27 as […]
A new prescription for cancer treatments
Back in August of 2012, I received the devastating news that my mother had an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was quickly admitted to the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) in our hometown of Montreal, where she was immediately taken under the charge of an incredible team. Being by her side from diagnosis through treatment, […]
Feds have an opportunity to fund health performance measurement, reporting across Canada
In the 1990s, then-health minister Allan Rock proposed a report card for the Canadian health-care system that would track indicators such as utilization and re-admission rates, average lengths of stay, health outcomes, and quality assurance. However, his proposal failed to gain traction. In the last 20 years, countries like the United States and the United […]
Canada must hold drug companies accountable for opioid crisis
Canada is the world’s second-biggest consumer of pharmaceutical opioids—second only to the United States. To put that in perspective, retail pharmacies across Canada dispensed 19 million prescriptions for opioids in 2016, up slightly from 18.9 million in 2015. That’s more than one prescription for every two Canadians. The opioid crisis has now claimed the lives of more than 10,000 […]
Women and the forgotten emergency response
Fatima Abba Bukar is nine months pregnant. It is her first pregnancy since she miscarried while fleeing Boko Haram late one night more than a year ago in northern Nigeria. She’s safe now and recently learned of a nearby maternal health clinic. It’s the first time she’s ever received antenatal care, including regular check-ups, free […]
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