The pre-existing dysfunction of American health care
For Canadians who thought debates over the byzantine and uniquely inefficient American health-care system ended on March 23, 2010 when then-president Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, the weeks since Donald Trump was inaugurated have been an eye opener. After years of symbolic votes to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, the Republicans who […]
Liberals need a seniors minister
If the federal cabinet table is any indication of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau views seniors, Canadians have good reason to be concerned. We are at a crossroads in our nation’s history for senior care. For the first time, the number of seniors in Canada exceeds the number of youth. Right now, one in six […]
Canada should have a national seniors strategy
Aging is getting tougher, and too many seniors are falling through the cracks in services provided by various levels of government. A collaborative approach that includes a national seniors strategy is a solution that the NDP has been recommending for several years. To address issues so that seniors are treated with respect as they age, Canada […]
Dual investments in home care and housing maximize support for seniors: PS Vaughan
Canada’s demographic reality has long been seen as one of the country’s major public policy challenges of the decades to come. The large contingent of baby boomers, born after the Second World War amidst a fertility surge that remade Canada, is reaching retirement, with no younger generation large enough to fill its footprint. Although Canadians are […]
Canada’s Aging Society
Canada can make cannabis safe for the world
We’re Canadian, so we like to do our part. We’re proud of the innovations we contribute to the world, from insulin, to UN peacekeeping, the Space Shuttle’s Canadarm, and the BlackBerry. Today, Canada is in the (perhaps surprising) position of being poised to make another important contribution, this time via public policy. We’re the world […]
CMHA Mental Health Week a national opportunity to engage, reflect
Through the leadership of the Canadian Mental Health Association, CMHA Mental Health Week has become a national opportunity to engage and reflect on the strides Canada is making towards a more responsive, flexible, and equitable mental health system. A significant milestone on this journey was the creation of our country’s first-ever mental health strategy, which […]
Canada’s ‘permanent passengers’
Some day soon, Mary Beth Wighton plans to paint the brown walls of her downstairs office purple. It is one of several hues deemed to be dementia-friendly, a specific palette she’ll consider when making adjustments to the décor of her home, which overlooks Lake Huron’s Ontario shores in Southampton, Ont. The 50-year-old sees many ways […]
Senators, opposition set to challenge pot bill age limits, prison terms in committee
Rules for the minimum age at which Canadians could buy pot, how many plants apartment-dwellers could grow, and lengthy maximum prison sentences could be challenged by Senators and opposition MPs as the government’s marijuana legislation passes through parliamentary committees. The chair of the House Justice Committee, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal, Que.), defended the […]
Let’s eliminate polio
Someone created quite a stir in Calgary a few days ago, walking into a drug store with an active case of measles and exposing everyone there to an infectious disease. All the radio stations covered it, trying to track down those shoppers. My concern was that this disease was contracted on an airplane. Yikes! Polio […]
