We should all be concerned about the level of federal debt and continued spending in Canada

 While many Canadians are enjoying the generous help from the federal government to cope with the tough consequences of this deadly pandemic, some are also increasingly concerned about the ability of our country to deal with the post-pandemic financial needs to re-build our economy. It is a difficult task to

Why has Canada’s data collection during the pandemic been so bad?

 Michael Wolfson It’s time the federal government used its authority to create critical data infrastructure Canadians are finally beginning to see projections of COVID-19 cases, deaths and needs for intensive-care units from various provinces and the federal government. We are also starting to see simulations that look beyond the next

Using the Emergencies Act to ramp up testing and track COVID-19

 By Colleen M. Flood, Teresa Scassa The Prime Minister is called upon almost daily to explain why the federal government has not invoked the Emergency Act. Canadians perceive the COVID-19 pandemic to be an emergency and rightly so. The problem is that the Act can only be employed when an

It’s time Canada had an official poverty line

 Poverty is hard to measure. There are many aspects besides living on low income, including having disabilities or costly health problems, not being able to find decent housing, not being able to understand and communicate in an environment with increasing technological and legal complexity and being unable to find nutritious

Too Little Too late: Why a Public Inquiry is Needed into the Harassment and Abuse of Officers Within the RCMP

 Photo: RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulso. (SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO) On October 6, 2016 the Commissioner of the RCMP Bob Paulson issued an apology to the hundreds of victims in the RCMP who had endured years of abuse, sexual harassment and bullying in the RCMP.  Unbelievably there

The Good, the Bad and the Unintended Consequences of an Expanded CPP

 By Robert L. Brown Amazingly, eight of ten provincial finance ministers and the federal government have agreed to a modest increase in the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).  The two provinces who have not signed on are Manitoba, where the government is only four weeks old, and Quebec, which has chosen

The Scientific Link Between Culture and Health for Canada’s Indigenous Populations is Strong

 Wab Kinew has been telling scientists and health care professionals for years that culture is medicine. Epidemics of obesity, diabetes, infectious diseases and suicide that plague First Nation children across Canada are complex and multi-faceted.  Yet government solutions often focus on simplistic bio-medical approaches – when they address the crises

Physician-assisted Dying Should not be a Substitute for Adequate Care and Supports for People with Mental Health Problems

 The federal government committee looking at physician assisted dying released its long-awaited recommendations recently to much debate. The permissive approach it recommends reflects the spirit of the Supreme Court of Canada declaration that the prohibition of physician assisted dying violates the fundamental human right to make one's own decisions about

Why American Doctors Are Calling For Canadian-Style Medicare

 And How Canada Risks Losing the Health Advantage it Has. In a dramatic show of physician support for deep health care reform in the U.S, more than 2,200 physician leaders have signed a “Physician’s Proposal” calling for sweeping change. The proposal, published May 5 2016 in the American Journal of

The Puzzle of Physician-Hastened Death

 Physician-hastened death is a puzzle, and one that, despite its complexity, we as a society have been tasked to assemble. Some of its pieces are so different from one another, and it is hard to imagine how they might fit into a cohesive whole. And yet, by June 6th -

Assisted Suicide for Those With Mental Illness is a Risky Proposition

 Who but those who have experienced it can appreciate the soul crushing anguish of mental illness? Afflictions of the mind can be paralyzing and fundamentally change the way we perceive ourselves (I am worthless), anticipate the future (my prospects are hopeless), and experience the world (life is unfair and unforgiving).

The LeBreton Flats fiasco: Why Melanie Joly must reform the NCC

 A concept image for Rendevous LeBreton.  For years the National Capital Commission (NCC) has been the most inept, closed, secretive, elitist and incompetent organization in the federal government. Their tagline should be “The NCC- We Never Miss an Opportunity to Miss an Opportunity.” The NCC board of directors has 15

A New Health Accord Needs to Include Better Planning

 Why a new health accord needs to include better planning for health human resources. There is growing talk of a new Health Accord between the federal government and the provinces and territories. This is such good news -- great news, in fact. If I were asked to have one thing

Moving Forward on Health Care Reform

 Why more money for health care is not the answer In the Speech from the Throne and since, the new Liberal government has clearly said it is ready to re-engage with the provinces and territories on health care. This is a welcome development. For most of the past decade, the

Why it’s time for a National Autism Strategy

 Over a year ago, I was invited to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on Parliament Hill.  It was attended by a dozen or more Senators from both major parties, political staffers and invited guests mostly from autism non-profit organizations.  I expected a predictable ‘feel good’ event about how far we’ve

Before the National Inquiry: Countering Stereotypes Through Education, Employment and Art

 Aboriginal community members at the annual Sisters In Spirit Candlelight Vigil in Ottawa in October. Photo by Damira Davletyarova. "I embrace you my sisters; and myself too We will go forward with strength anew Our friendships will travel with us down the road Fortified by the stories we now hold..." Excerpt from

Three Things the Federal Government Can Do to Improve the Registered Disability Savings Plan

 Many of us in the disability community were pleasantly surprised when the Liberal party promised to create a National Disabilities Act that would safeguard disability rights, reduce systemic barriers and establish a foundation of opportunity for those affected by disability.  Canada is an outlier among developed nations for not having

The Planet is Dying of Consumption and Only Citizens can Halt the Process

 At the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, COP21, the focus has been on promises countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These macro level commitments are always made with varying degrees of sincerity because few political leaders will be willing to cause real or even perceived damage to their

Dear Health Minister Philpott — We Need Leadership In Medicare Restored

 Dear Minister Philpott, It is fantastic news that as a family doctor you are our next federal health minister.  You will know very well that our healthcare system shows its age.  Born in the middle of the 20th century, its primary focus on doctors and hospitals is outmoded as technology

Current Patchwork of Funding Policies for Children’s Medicine in Canada Needs Critical Attention

 You are the parent of a sick child.  You have a limited budget and you must decide to buy the medicine the doctor prescribed for your child or provide food and shelter for your family instead.  What do you do? Sadly this dilemma is one too many Canadians are facing.

Pharmacare is for Kids Too

 Written by Avram Denburg and Steve Morgan You are the parent of a sick child. You have a limited budget and you must decide to buy the medicine the doctor prescribed for your child or provide food and shelter for your family instead. What do you do? Sadly this dilemma is one too

Three Things Everyone Should Know About Autism in Canada

 Canadian governments have done little to address the crisis faced by autism families across the country. This sentiment was true in 2007 when it was put forward in the cross-party Senate report on the state of funding for the treatment of autism in Canada, aptly titled, Pay Now or Pay

Light-Rail gets $1 Billion Boost from Feds

 The existing O-Train passes over the Rideau River. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. In a letter to Mayor Jim Watson dated July 22, Orléans MP Royal Galipeau announced his party’s intention to give $1 billion to support Stage 2 of Ottawa’s light-rail plans. That money will make up one third

Daniels versus Canada

 The Métis Nation has long argued that the federal government has primary responsibility to deal with Métis as a distinct Aboriginal people, but successive governments in Ottawa steadfastly adhered to the line that Métis were a provincial responsibility. The provinces for the most part claimed that Ottawa had constitutional responsibility

The Real Costs of Informal Caregiving in Canada

 National strategy needed for unpaid caregivers in the workplace The phenomenon is not exactly marginal: according to a recently released government report, one in every three workers in Canada is assisting a chronically disabled person--many of them seniors--with transportation, household maintenance or day-to-day tasks. The 6.1 million employed workers who