There is no health care without health-care workers
Like many nurses in Canada, I welcomed last week’s announcement that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had reached an agreement with health care at its heart. As nurses, we have long advocated for national pharmacare, long-term care standards and dental care, and we recognize affordable housing as an essential social determinant […]
Nurse retention crisis requires action plan to address workplace violence, says nursing organizations
Health-care organizations are pushing for the federal government to step in with an action plan to address a workforce retention crisis, which has been worsened by escalating verbal and physical abuse directed towards health-care providers during the global pandemic. “Unfortunately, workplace harassment and violence is not a new issue for health-care professionals. It’s something that […]
Catching up on the next pandemic: how the government can address the mental health epidemic in Canada
It’s no secret that there is a brewing mental health crisis in Canada, and governments at all levels need to be prepared to meet the increased needs of the millions of Canadians who are seeking mental health supports. Two years of lockdowns, isolation, uncertainty, and stress in the face of COVID-19 means that more Canadians […]
Timely access to mental health care must be a top priority
While we provide our comments in a post-federal government budget world, it is clear that we still have some way to go before we can say we are living in a post-pandemic world. As we continue to do all that we can to ensure our families and friends and society-at-large are safe and well, we […]
Post-pandemic health and science: preparing for the next one now
As Canada moves out of the COVID-19 pandemic and into a COVID-19 endemic mitigation state, it would be wise to take into account some highly regarded and sober advice. Writing in the medical journal The Lancet, a panel of international experts recently recommended that all countries conduct “urgent and comprehensive risk assessments” of the current […]
Where is our ‘can-do’ spirit? The world needs Canada to step up and stem the lasting health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
Early in the pandemic, collaboration was our first line of defence. We witnessed individuals and institutions working together—across divergent political parties, provincial, municipal, federal jurisdictions, and across a research community that spanned the entire planet. This collaboration brought us four vaccines endorsed for emergency use by the World Health Organization less than one year into […]
Who cares: drop-in programs care for our most vulnerable, but can they afford to continue?
In the northwest corner of Toronto, every morning, seven days a week, two women, front-line staff at the Syme Woolner Neighbourhood Centre, enter through a side door and head towards their carefully organized kitchen. They sort through food items, donated or bought, and begin their daily task of preparing and serving delicious and nutritious meals […]
Health Policy Briefing
Pandemic heightens urgency for Canada Health Transfers reform
With the federal government having unveiled its spending plan for the coming year, the conversation between the federal government and the provincial and territorial governments over Canada Health Transfers (CHT) will be taking on a new urgency. The past two years of fighting the relentless COVID-19 pandemic have revealed real cracks in our health-care system […]
Ford gambling on Ontarians’ health in pre-election dice roll
OTTAWA—Whatever you can say about Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s handling of the pandemic, it clearly didn’t have anything to do with equal treatment of his province’s population. It emerged last year that private schools had been huge beneficiaries when the Ford government began handing out rapid tests (paid for by federal taxpayers) as Ontarians struggled with […]
