‘It’s real, it’s serious, and it’s prevalent’: Parliamentarians, experts call for more funding, research into long COVID
With most public health restrictions across the country already lifted and officials confirming Canada is headed towards, or already in, a seventh wave of COVID-19, Parliamentarians and public health experts are increasing calls for more resources and co-ordination to understand the impacts of “long COVID,” which is likely affecting millions of Canadians. Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s […]
Nova Scotia is the ‘in’ place to be
YARMOUTH, N.S.—Tim Houston is ebullient. “We are rockin’ and rollin’ here. The economy is booming, we have topped up on our immigration numbers the last few years, and people are moving back in droves.” Houston should know, as the tall, personable 52-year old accountant is the premier of this province. He must certainly feel he was […]
Feds should listen to health-care ask to avoid nursing catastrophe
Nothing prepares you for your first serious car accident patient in the emergency room. Or the first time a child dies while you are on duty. I remember a few scenes from early in my nursing career vividly. The trauma is etched into my memory. But before the end of a hard shift, our nurse […]
The politics of the post-COVID era could lead anywhere
OTTAWA—Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s re-election told us a lot about the emerging post-COVID political landscape. Ford held onto his right-wing support and benefitted from general indifference among a large segment of the province’s voting public. In essence, provincial voters saw the ballot as a matter of least-worse choices. And, at a time when the average […]
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 […]
