Feds move to do full PS staff survey yearly, not every three years
A comprehensive examination of how public servants feel about their workplaces will now be done yearly, instead of every three years, a move welcomed by union representatives, who say there needs to be meaningful action with the yearly results. According to a November memo prepared for Treasury Board secretary Yaprak Baltacioglu and obtained under the […]
Groups on all sides of the food policy debate urge feds to think fresh on governance
Players from across the food and nutrition landscape in Canada, including industry and health advocates, are calling for better engagement from Ottawa in drafting a cohesive national food policy. An ad-hoc group representing 53 different organizations is pressuring the federal government to create an arms-length “national food policy advisory council” that would feature stakeholders from all sides […]
NDP will pay leader Jagmeet Singh the same amount as an MP
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will soon be paid about $173,000, the same amount an MP gets paid. James Smith, Mr. Singh’s press secretary, confirmed that the party will pay Mr. Singh the salary, but he has not started receiving it yet. Mr. Smith added the party was in the process of making payment arrangements. Asked if the […]
Liberals set their pre-election machine in motion with generous, progressive-themed budget
OTTAWA—The Liberals began laying the groundwork for next year’s re-election campaign with a wide-ranging budget package built around billions of dollars of new funding and initiatives designed to polish their progressive credentials. As expected, Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s third budget focused on advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people, expanding Canada’s scientific prowess, helping families, doing more […]
Liberals’ Healthy Eating Strategy serves up a table of junk food
The prime minister’s father, Pierre Trudeau, once said, “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” The government may be good at keeping out of our bedrooms, but with the Healthy Eating Strategy, the kitchen is another story. The Liberals are serving up a table of junk food in their Healthy […]
The feds must act aggressively to fight tobacco use
February is Heart Month and it’s also when World Cancer Day takes place, so it’s a fitting time to take a good hard look at where we are in Canada with our battle against tobacco. This is critical because tobacco remains the leading cause of premature death in our country. You read that correctly: despite significant progress […]
Trudeau should enshrine in legislation every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment
As scholars and advocates of environmental law, we write to call upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to recognize, protect, and fulfill every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment. Indeed, we believe there is an urgent need for statutory, constitutional, and judicial recognition of the right to a healthy environment in Canada. A robust body […]
Use technology, take risks to advance Canadian health care, say innovators
It all started when the two of us sat down over a cup of coffee. As a family physician and endocrinologist, we stand on opposite sides of a large chasm called patient wait times, and we both started seeing more and more of our patients getting swallowed up by this abyss. In her role as […]
Collaboration in health care is essential in bringing important opportunities for people powered health
With the current opioid crisis, greater emphasis than ever on mental health issues, and our country’s aging population, saying there are currently no shortage of health issues to focus on is an understatement. Health is one of the most singularly important aspects of one’s life and impacts every Canadian from coast to coast to coast. […]
Marijuana hurts kids, and C-45 is a toxic bill, says Sen. Unger
Re: “Sen. Unger relies on incomplete representation to argue her case against marijuana legalization,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 8, p. 8), “Sen. Unger’s got it wrong on marijuana legalization,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 24, p. 8). The Trudeau government has tabled Bill C-45, which, if passed, will legalize the sale and distribution of marijuana and—incredibly—make […]
