Senate delays: just another urban myth
Everyone knows that the Senate delays government legislation. Don’t we? Well, no we don’t. In fact, the House of Commons tends to take almost three times as long to deal with government legislation as the Senate does. This incontestable fact is based on an actual count of official parliamentary records over the last ten parliaments […]
Marijuana legislation will not achieve its objectives and should be defeated
It’s difficult to remember the last time the federal government and the provinces came to an agreement on revenue sharing in a single day. But that’s what happened last week when the feds agreed to give the provinces 75 per cent of tax revenue generated by the sale of marijuana. Initially, the Trudeau government was […]
The most wonderful time of the year? Not for everyone
Thankfully the national and personal dialogues about mental health and wellness have improved dramatically over the last decade. That is a marvelous occurrence and almost as valuable as the increased investment in public funding that has happened as that conversation has become part of the main stream. That said, stigmas still exist—we, as a society, […]
Total health and resilience for the military community
OTTAWA—When the Department of National Defence announced a total health and wellness strategy earlier this year, as part of the new defence policy, it embarked on its most ambitious and important program yet for the health of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. We hear the stories but we don’t see the scars. Soldiers return from […]
Cheaper isn’t always better, and prescription drugs are no exception
Earlier this month, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board published new regulations that could see drug prices cut by up to 20 per cent. Taking a page from United States President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has adopted a reductive, fair-means-cheap pricing equation. The effects may be damaging for the pharmaceutical industry, Canadian […]
Health Committee ought to put Canadians’ needs first, not big pharma
The pharmaceutical industry clearly has a vested interest in the details of a pharmacare plan, now under consideration by the House Health Committee. So do Canadians whose health depends on prescription drugs. But are their interests the same? Plenty of evidence says they’re not. But you wouldn’t know that from the brief that a coalition […]
Active transportation needs a federal champion
TORONTO—Canada needs a federal champion for active modes of transportation such as cycling and walking. At present, no federal minister has been assigned responsibility for supporting active transportation in this country. Mandate letters, used to set priorities for federal ministers, make no mention of active transportation. This is a problem for so many reasons. Active […]
Taxing medical cannabis hurts vulnerable patients
With so much attention focused on the Trudeau government’s plans to legalize recreational cannabis, it is important to not forget the thousands of Canadians currently benefiting from treatment with medical cannabis. Unfortunately, some of the decisions the government is making today are disadvantaging those patients. In order to legally purchase medical cannabis, patients require the […]
Lessons from a Calgary kitchen floor
Donna Sharman learned a vital lesson when she collapsed on her kitchen floor in Calgary four years ago: health research saves lives, including hers. Then 59, she hit the floor without warning because of a blood clot in her brain, causing a stroke. That was the unlucky part of her day. Her luck turned when […]
What gets measured gets done
CALGARY—“The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children, including their health, safety, material security, education and socialization and their sense of being loved, valued and included in the families and societies into which they are born,” according to UNICEF. Yet how can we measure our nation’s standing when […]
