Deregulation of blood safety: Health Canada’s unhealthy decision on paid plasma
Health Canada has quietly licensed a commercial facility that pays for plasma collected from Canadian citizens in Saskatoon. Although seemingly innocuous, this constitutes a decision to massively deregulate the safety of Canada’s blood supply. How did this happen? This issue first arose in 2013, with an application by the same commercial entity, Canadian Plasma Resources, […]
Marijuana task force could assemble this spring, says Philpott
The federal ministers of Health, Justice, and Public Safety have been meeting regularly to discuss the federal government’s plans to legalize marijuana and want to have the task force announced by the spring, says Health Minister Jane Philpott. Legalizing, regulating, and restricting access to recreational marijuana is a shared initiative by the Department of Justice and Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould […]
Former MP Fletcher pleased with assisted-dying report, awaits legislation
With the special committee’s report finalized, former Conservative MP Steven Fletcher and many other right-to-die advocates are now anxiously awaiting the tabling of the federal government’s legislation on physician-assisted dying. “It’s a very interesting report, it raises a lot of interesting topics, but when the rubber hits the road is when we see the legislation that […]
Feds must follow provinces on collecting wait-time data: advocacy group
A group that monitors the time patients wait for health care for various procedures and in all parts of the country says producing this kind of data helps reduce waits and is calling on the federal government to step up and provide this kind of information on the care it provides to aboriginal peoples and veterans. The Wait […]
Health
Time for feds to take aggressive measures to fight obesity
Almost two thirds of adults in Canada are overweight or obese, according to Statistics Canada – a dramatic increase that has taken place over the last thirty plus years. Unfortunately the increase in obesity rates has also affected our children. Around 13 percent of Canadian children between the ages of five and 17 are obese […]
Feds should implement pilot project on guaranteed income
We have immense challenges in our country when it comes to poverty. We have families that struggle to pay rent. We have children that can’t afford school supplies or to go on school trips. We also have many that can’t afford to put good food on the table and have to rely on donations at […]
APEC and mental health: Canada poised to become regional incubator for advanced research and best practices in mental health innovation
As my colleague Michael Wilson and I reminded the House Finance committee recently, mental disorders are one of Canada’s leading healthcare challenges costing upwards of $51-billion a year. There is an urgent need to address mental wellness here at home and abroad. I’m proud to say that Canada will soon be at the forefront of […]
Ottawa earmarks nearly $2 million for mental health support in missing, murdered inquiry plan
The Liberal government has quietly planned to spend an estimated $1.7-million on mental health support for aboriginal family members and others who were consulted over the past two months on plans for a national inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. The commitment, not yet formally announced by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister […]
Five steps to redefine Canada’s agri-food system for the future
With one of the safest food systems anywhere, Canadians can trust the food they eat. But consumers here and abroad are pushing the bounds of what “trust” means to them. Can Canada lead the world in redefining trust for the future? Food costs are a primary concern for many consumers. Nevertheless, a wide range of […]
