Archive for the ‘Health Debates’ Category

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Six ways public health care makes our economy stronger

Thursday, June 26th, 2025

Prime Minister Carney has put attracting investment in Canada at the top of his agenda. The economists remind him that public health care is a major economic pillar, supporting employment, innovation, and fiscal efficiency, all of which contribute to Canada’s economic resilience amidst global uncertainties and trade pressures. Six ways Medicare makes our economy stronger:

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Alcohol is a ‘neurological sledgehammer’ that is harming society in more ways than we realize

Monday, June 23rd, 2025

… alcohol has “received an almost free pass when it comes to changes in policy and public opinion.” … The so-called “alcohol deficit” — caused by the cost of alcohol’s impact on the health-care and criminal justice systems, by lost productivity, by vehicle collisions, law-enforcement costs — reached an all-time high of $6.4 billion in Canada in 2020 and $1.9 billion in Ontario… Alcohol is a main cause of disability and premature death. It causes health problems, including liver disease, cardiovascular issues, several types of cancer and mental-health disorders.

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‘Nation-building’ projects should also reflect Canadian values

Wednesday, June 11th, 2025

In his 2021 book, Value(s): Building A Better World For All, Mr. Carney reflects thoughtfully on the corrosive impact of inequality and unhealthiness, and how more equal societies are more resilient. He also writes about seven key values that are essential for building a better world: solidarity, fairness, responsibility, resilience, sustainability, dynamism, and humility, all laced with compassion. The way to embrace those values is to invest in programs that make people healthier and more equal…

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Health care advocates need to keep up the pressure on Mark Carney

Thursday, June 5th, 2025

Upon becoming the Liberal Party Leader on March 9, Carney said, “In America, health care is a big business. In Canada, it’s a right.” He did not say it is universal and public. When he mentioned pharmacare and dental care he tagged it with “for those who need it.” That sounds just like a fill-in-the-gaps program, and not a universal program… He doesn’t mention that Canada is the only developed nation with a universal health care system that does not have universal coverage for both dental care and prescription drugs. 

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The solution to Canada’s health-care woes? Build something new.

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025

Canada does not need to replace its health system. However, it does need to evolve into one that harmonizes operations across provinces, supports staff, and provides patients with real alternatives when local options fall short. A sustainable system won’t be built on rationing, complexity or territorial thinking. It will depend on scalable infrastructure, smart workforce planning and cross-border collaboration.

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How Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten Canadians’ access to prescription drugs

Friday, May 9th, 2025

 Thirty-two per cent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients that go into the medicines that North Americans take originate in China. U.S President Donald Trump has now threatened to slap U.S. tariffs on Chinese drugs and drug ingredients that were previously exempt… Canada already imports $8.76 billion annually in prescription drugs from the U.S. To the extent that tariffed drugs go from China to the U.S. to Canada, the cost of both publicly and privately funded drug plans will increase.

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Pharmacare is now law in Canada, but negotiations with provinces could slow progress

Monday, March 24th, 2025

Pharmacare could have been implemented nationally, like it was for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, offering federal coverage for essential medications like contraceptives and diabetes medications, while insurers and provincial plans cover the rest. This would have been a simple approach that would have allowed for future changes, and could have been implemented by provinces much like vaccines are — paid for using people’s provincial health numbers, sidestepping the difficulty of enrolling people in a new plan.

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Why Canadian-trained doctors should be allowed to practise anywhere in Canada without additional licensing

Monday, March 17th, 2025

Why, then, are doctors with identical training and qualifications confined to practising in just one province or territory? … Despite national standards for training and qualification, the power to grant a licence rests with 13 separate provincial and territorial regulatory colleges. This fragmented system creates artificial barriers, limiting the mobility of our highly skilled physicians across Canada.

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Health care advocates need to keep up the pressure on Mark Carney

Thursday, March 13th, 2025

… on March 9, Carney said, “In America, health care is a big business. In Canada, it’s a right.” He did not say it is universal and public. When he mentioned pharmacare and dental care he tagged it with “for those who need it.” That sounds just like a fill-in-the-gaps program, and not a universal program. Big Pharma’s key demand is that eligibility be restricted to “those who need it” and exclude those who have private plans… It’s clear that Big Pharma… is plotting how the program can be modified. 

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The Dutch and Danes have much to teach Canada about better health care

Friday, February 7th, 2025

Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands all spend roughly the same per capita on health care… But both Denmark and the Netherlands have many more physicians per capita than Canada – about 60 per cent more…  One of the best lessons Canada can take from European and Nordic countries with great primary care is the importance of teamwork. Nurses and practice assistants… do a lot of triage and care, and physicians focus on more serious issues.

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