Is drug price policy evidence-based or evidence-deficient?
The Liberal Party’s 2015 federal election platform promised that its health policy decisions would be evidence based. But recent amendments to Canada’s patented medicines regulations show that the government’s price control policies are based on faulty evidence and unproven assumptions, which can lead to unnecessary, expensive, and harmful policy choices. On July 1, the federal government changed […]
Festive, muted atmosphere in Ottawa as thousands flock to LeBreton Flats, and heavily secured Parliament Hill for first in-person Canada Day in two years
With the shifting of major activities away from Parliament Hill and into LeBreton Flats Park and Place des Festivals Zibi across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Que., the first opportunity for people to come together for Canada Day in-person in two years mostly went off without a hitch, with many in town wondering and worrying […]
New drug pricing rules on Canada Day will end years of damaging uncertainty for industry and patients
When there is uncertainty, businesses of any kind have to assume and prepare for the worst. This is especially true when investing billions of dollars in very risky multi-year projects to develop and launch new medicines around the world. And if one country creates a uniquely unfavourable and uncertain business environment, it will quickly become […]
Let’s recognize our resiliency as we find a way out of the swamp
OTTAWA—As Canada Day 2022 comes upon us, hopefully a summer of relief and escape awaits. But such optimism may be misguided. Trust me, I hate being dour and discordant, but it is hard to not to feel like we are stuck in a swamp buried under multiple layers of muck. Serious war rages in Ukraine. […]
Children and youth need decisive action to improve their environmental health and well-being
Canada’s grades are not top of the class in UNICEF’s 17th report card on child and youth well-being, measuring the impacts of environmental damage on children and youth in the world’s 39 richest countries. While Canada had decent grades related to overcrowded housing and environmental education, our country ranked 28th overall, and some of the […]
Hybrid House should survive the pandemic
For nearly two years, the Canadian House of Commons has used a hybrid model, meaning Parliamentarians can attend in-person or via video-teleconferencing for House sittings and voting. This arrangement was born of necessity during the pandemic when public health measures advised against travel and large in-person gatherings to control the spread of COVID-19. But the […]
Do the Liberals need to make a few trades to curb pattern of own goals?
OTTAWA—Maybe it is a bit of seasonal affective disorder or plain fatigue, but it seems the Justin Trudeau government is in a lag. From late responses to things like inflation support packages or the relaxing of travel mandates, it seems adrift. In their seven years in power, I don’t think the Liberals have looked and […]
It’s time to break the sexual and reproductive health stigma
The social stigma and taboo that surrounds sexual and reproductive health negatively impact the way we access health services and lead to a gap in public health. On May 31, Liberal MP Pam Damoff, NDP MP Leah Gazan, Bloc Québécois MP Andréanne Larouche, Green MP Elizabeth May, Senator Marilou McPhedran, and Action Canada co-hosted “Reclaiming […]
‘Massive reputational risk’: former Air Canada exec, strategists slam feds for sluggish response to expected travel surge in airports
Ongoing and highly-publicized delays in Canada’s international airports should have been foreseen by the federal government, according to a former Air Canada executive, and that the delays have set the stage for “massive reputational risk” for Canada as both a tourist destination and a connection hub for international travellers. “The federal government knew that crowds […]
Lifting travel vaccine mandate ‘politically expedient,’ with feds ‘losing the battle’ on issues management, politicos say
The federal Liberals say their decision to suspend vaccine mandates for domestic air and rail travel was based on evolving scientific and public health information, but critics say the government made a political calculation. Garry Keller, a former senior Conservative staffer, told The Hill Times that the government’s decision to lift vaccine mandates for domestic […]
