New medical marijuana regulations should allow pharmacist dispensing
Health Minister Jane Philpott has a golden opportunity later this month to improve access and safety for medical marijuana patients and Canadian pharmacists hope she will take it. By amending the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) to allow pharmacists to dispense medical marijuana, Canadians would have a safe, reliable and convenient alternative to mail-order […]
Want to improve a child’s health? Sometimes that may mean giving their parents a raise
When parents bring a child into the clinic, they do so hoping for help to treat an acute illness or a longer-term problem. It might be something as simple as an ear infection, a chronic illness like asthma, or something more socially and psychologically complex such as ADHD. The expectation is that the child can […]
Health Minister Philpott headed to South Africa for AIDS conference
Health Minister Jane Philpott is heading to Durban, South Africa, later this week ahead of the 21st International AIDS Conference to discuss HIV and AIDS research in Canada to a large crowd of top international researchers, activists, and government representatives. The conference, taking place from July 18-22 at the Durban International Convention Centre, is said […]
Value and the cost of medicines working together for a sustainable health-care system
Everyone can agree that when Canadians are in good physical and mental health, they are able to be more productive, contribute to our society and our economy, and most importantly, live healthier, happier lives. And, most would agree that access to medicines is a key element in achieving optimal health for Canadians. We recognize that […]
Having had a taste of independence, Senators will likely crave more
MONTREAL—In the end, the Senate battle over medically assisted suicide ended not with a bang but with a whimper. On Friday, the Upper House reluctantly deferred to the will of the House of Commons on the issue of medically assisted death by a margin of 44 to 28. The result was not even close. Canada’s […]
Canada has fallen behind, panel on mental health in prisons says
Underfunded, under resourced, unseen, and inadequately supported. These were the words panellists at Wednesday’s Senate Liberal Open Caucus used to describe investments in mental health at Canadian correctional facilities. “Canada has fallen behind,” said Gary Chaimowitz, professor at McMaster University and Chair of the Psychiatry Section of the Ontario Medical Association. Reflecting on the fact […]
Intellectual property debated in Ottawa as feds host trade deal consultations
The debate over intellectual property rights in Canadian health care continues as the government holds public consultations on a major Pacific rim trade deal. Yesterday, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.,) held a “town hall” on the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership at the University of Toronto. The Trudeau government signed the deal in February but says it […]
No one-size-fits-all approach to addiction
OTTAWA—Earlier this week, my Hill Times colleague Abbas Rana reported that former fisheries minister Hunter Tootoo, who recently resigned from cabinet to seek treatment for addiction issues, was at the GreeneStone Clinic in Ontario. That was the place where the late Rob Ford went to heal. Knowledge of Tootoo’s whereabouts reignited a debate about how […]
Bernier proposes doing away with CRTC as telecom regulator
There’s probably been some water-cooler chatter about politics lately in the corridors of 1 Promenade du Portage in Gatineau, which is where the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is based. Last week, at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier said Canada’s telecom market could get along just fine without […]
Here’s to Mauril Bélanger, House right to support his gender neutral national anthem bill
Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, whose health is rapidly deteriorating and is dying of ALS, was forced to attend a vote in the House of Commons last Friday so that his private member’s bill to create a gender-neutral national anthem could pass the report stage and go to a final House vote on Wednesday. He was […]
