Debates

We've curated important conversations about various aspects of health care in Canada. Some of our debates are classic clashes between opposing views. Others consist of multiple perspectives that fall along a spectrum of opinion. And some are timelines that show the development of a big story over a long period.

Article
Article
by Maddi Dellplain

Setting the record straight: Medical experts debunk the biggest myths in their field

These days, it's hard to know what to believe. We polled a panel of health experts on the most pervasive misinformation in their specialty and asked them to set the record straight.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain

Should “magic mushrooms” be legalized? Experts weigh in

Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in "magic mushrooms", is making waves for its therapeutic benefits in treating psychiatric conditions like major depressive disorder and end-of-life anxiety. But does that mean it should be legalized? We asked a panel of experts to weigh in.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain

From diabetes medication to weight-loss wonder drug: Ozempic’s popularity raises big questions

Ozempic has raised a lot of questions. We asked a panel of experts what are the most important factors to consider when prescribing Ozempic for weight loss.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

The Plan to Stay Open: Relief for our beleaguered health-care system or a move to further privatization?

Ontario’s Plan to Stay Open, a five-point strategy aimed at “health-care system stability and recovery,” has been the subject of much debate since its final release in August. We asked a panel of experts what they thought about the plan. Here's what they had to say.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

The right to die: Should MAiD apply to those whose sole condition is mental illness?

With the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to include those whose sole condition is mental illness fast approaching, we asked a panel of experts whether they felt this was a move in the right direction — and what they hope to see moving forward.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain

How should we handle the toxic drug-supply crisis? Experts weigh in.

While political debates have muddied the water on effective policy options to address toxic drug deaths, we asked a panel of experts what they see as the best path forward to address the ongoing crisis.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain

What will happen to Ontario’s uninsured? Experts weigh in

Adding to the list of lifted pandemic policies, Ontario will no longer cover the cost hospital services and physicians fees for the previously uninsured. Without OHIP for these groups, what can we expect to see? Is this the right move? Experts weigh in.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain

Will the first cut be the deepest? The debate on for-profit surgeries

As Ontario moves to fund private centres for select surgical procedures, will the province see a reduction in backlogs? Or is it a slippery slope towards further privatization of the provincial healthcare system? Our experts weigh in.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain

Is Canada ready to lift mask mandates? Experts weigh in

As public health restrictions lift across the country, we asked experts to weigh in on whether it's time to do away with mask mandates.

Article
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Provinces have charted their own paths, but should all adults in Canada have access to second boosters of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Canadian provinces and territories have gone their own ways on the advisability and availability of fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses. But should the general population be eligible for a fourth dose at this time? Or are we better off waiting? We asked a group of experts to weigh in.

Debate
Posted: May 3, 2023

How should we handle our health-care crisis?

We can agree that something needs to be done to ensure patients have better access to health care. But what kinds of solutions should be up for discussion? Do we let private companies take on some of the burden? Or should we steer clear of for-profit options? Two health-care experts share their differing views on Ontario's path forward.

by Doug McGregor

Saving our health-care system calls for bold leadership, not privatization

Ontario's health-care system is speeding toward privatization. But what the system needs is bold leadership and direct action, not more for-profit interventions.

VS
by Kirk Corkery

Are we handcuffed by history?

There are multiple solutions to today’s challenges; more family physicians is not the only approach we should consider. We should not remain handcuffed by history.

Video

The COVID Debates: Should the COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory for all health-care workers?

Debate
Posted: Dec 15, 2021

Be it resolved the COVID-19 vaccine should be mandatory for all health-care workers

Doctors Amit Arya, Allison McGeer, Kali Barrett, and Stefan Baral face off over whether COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory in a civil but sharply argued debate that covers some of the most contentious topics in health care, including systemic inequities, vaccine hesitancy, the state of long-term care, and more.

Yes
VS
No
Timeline
by Amit Arya

Amit Arya

Vaccinations should be mandatory for all health-care workers because they will keep vulnerable patients safe. We know this from our experience successfully mandating vaccination among staff in long-term care. Furthermore, vaccine mandates should not be blamed for staff shortages in the health-care system.

by Allison McGeer

Allison McGeer

Vaccine mandates will lead good health-care workers to be fired, thereby exacerbating systemic inequities – and all for a rationale that appeals to patient safety but which does not always stand up to scrutiny. We also can't allow vaccine mandates to send the message that we no longer need to use multiple complementary infection-control measures.

by Kali Barrett

Kali Barrett

Vaccines must be mandatory in all health-care settings in order to protect patients, protect health-care workers and prevent future health-care worker shortages. Furthermore, hospitals are temples of science, and we need to make decisions based on science – such as mandating vaccination.

by Stefan Baral

Stefan Baral

Mandating COVID-19 vaccines amounts to a passive and insensitive infection-control measure that does not address the real drivers of COVID-19 infection. Moreover, it deviates from the core principles of public health, eroding trust between public health and those it serves.

Debate
Posted: Jan 4, 2022

Debate: Be it resolved that school closures should never be used to stop the spread of COVID-19

In June 2021, Ari Bitnun, Andrew Morris, Jennifer Grant, Colin Furness, and Martha Fulford debated a notion that has once again become the subject of intense dispute as Canada sees a huge spike in COVID-19 cases: whether schools should never be closed as a means of limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Yes
VS
No
Timeline
by Ari Bitnun

Ari Bitnun

We should never have closed schools because there is no compelling reason to do so. Not only are children at very low risk of developing severe COVID-19, but schools are also not significant sites of transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

by Andrew Morris

Andrew Morris

We should not rule out school closures, since even though the short-term consequences of COVID-19 on children generally appear to be mild, they are not always benign – and no-one even knows what the long-term effects are. Furthermore, transmission does occur within schools, which can endanger not only schoolchildren but the broader community.

See full debate
Debate
Posted: Nov 25, 2021

Should vaccine passports be part of our public health strategy?

Two high-profile epidemiologists share their differing views on using vaccine certificates to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Max Binks-Collier

‘We’re deviating from what makes us Canadian’: An interview with Stefan Baral

Physician-epidemiologist Stefan Baral opposes vaccine certificates on the grounds that they further sideline marginalized groups and strain the relationship between public health and the public it serves.

VS
by Max Binks-Collier

‘We shouldn’t emotionalize the discussion. It’s purely pragmatic’: An interview with Peter Jüni

Peter Jüni, the scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, argues that vaccine certificates are key to managing the COVID-19 pandemic while keeping society open.

Debate
Posted: Nov 8, 2021

Are vaccine passports ethical?

Two distinguished ethicists share their differing perspectives on the ethics of requiring people to provide proof of full vaccination to access everyday venues and services.

by Max Binks-Collier

‘Is it a violation of people’s rights? I would say it is’: An interview with Kerry Bowman

Ethicist Kerry Bowman says that vaccine certificates give him pause because they restrict people's movement, are divisive, and likely further disadvantage the marginalized – all while providing a benefit whose overall impact is hard to gauge.

VS
by Max Binks-Collier

‘Liberty is at stake, but not just the liberty of the unvaccinated’: An interview with Arthur Schafer

Ethicist Arthur Schafer argues that vaccine certificates are a clearly ethical means of protecting the vulnerable, the unvaccinated, and our health-care system, thereby allowing us to return to something resembling our pre-pandemic way of life.

Series
Posted: Apr 6, 2021

Dispatches

Our editor-in-chief, Seema Marwaha, is keeping a regular log of what she is seeing, thinking and feeling as she tends to COVID-19 patients while more virulent and contagious variants of the coronavirus stress our hospitals.
by Seema Marwaha

April 20: Foolishly walking into a crisis

Instead of pots and pans, all I hear now is the deafening silence in response to calls for paid sick leave and vaccines for essential workers.
by Seema Marwaha

April 16: “An unprecedented but preventable crisis”

It is so incredibly obvious to us on the wards who is struggling for help. I am angry, sad, and disappointed that their needs and safety seem to invisible to people in power.

See full debate
Discussion
Posted: Mar 8, 2021

Women’s Health

International Women's Day is both a celebration of how far we've come and a reminder of how far we have to go when it comes to women's health. Displayed here are a few pieces from the archives that highlight issues women face today regarding their health.
See full debate
Comment and response
Posted: Mar 4, 2021

Are drug-pricing changes helping or harming Canadians?

An article published on Feb. 2 argues that the PMPRB, a federal regulatory agency, must push ahead with reforms to the pricing of pharmaceutical drugs, despite pressure from Big Pharma.

A critical reply instead argues that the pricing changes will ultimately harm Canadians.
by Danyaal Raza ... ...

Vaccines, prices and a pandemic

If the government is serious about ensuring access to prescription drugs and vaccines to all, it must stand up to pressure from Big Pharma on pricing reforms.

VS
by Jason Field

Canadians paying the price for failed drug-pricing policy

Canadian patients, scientists and health systems are paying the price for this failed policy experiment, which is not what our country needs at this critical moment.

Debate
Posted: Jul 23, 2020

Nationalizing drug manufacturing: A public necessity or a waste of money?

Be it resolved that the government must take over the manufacture of critical care drugs to prevent shortages.
by Saad Ahmed

The government must take over the manufacturing of critical care drugs

This pandemic, like the Spanish flu at the height of the Progressive era, is a chance for a burst of creativity in policy-making and a commitment to building new institutions. 

VS
by Ahsan Irfan

The government should not take over the manufacturing of critical care drugs

The issue of drug shortages is a critical one and deserves a sober, evidence-based policy discussion by governments and experts. Generic drug manufacturing should not be nationalized for three reasons.

Discussion
Posted: Jan 26, 2021

Long-term care reform during COVID-19

Ontario's long-term care system is in need of reform. Over the last few months, our contributors have flagged major issues with the current models of care and highlighted the disastrous consequences to residents during COVID-19. They have also proposed novel, logical solutions to the problems. Here is a selection of pieces that approach this topic from a variety of vantage points.
by A group of very concerned physicians, researchers and advocates Concerned researchers and experts from CoVaRR-Net

Ontario’s long-term care sector is in a grave humanitarian crisis

We are a group of physicians, researchers and advocates who have come together to express our grave concern for the safety and well-being of Ontarians who reside in long-term care (LTC) homes.
by Jackie Brown

The dangers of financialized long-term care

Jackie Brown makes the compelling case that the staggering loss of life seen within long-term care homes during the first wave was in part the product of an economic regime that values the profits of shareholders over the lives of the vulnerable.
by Kaleigh Alkenbrack

Innovative models pave the way for safe, high-quality long-term care homes

COVID-19 has exposed huge issues in Ontario's LTC homes. It's time we reimagine LTC entirely. Let's start by surveying the other LTC models already out there.

See full debate
Complex Debate
Posted: Jan 14, 2021

The MAiD Debate

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) has been legal in Canada since June 17, 2016. There was heated debate before legalization and it continues today over expanding MAiD to vulnerable groups, such as youth and those with mental illnesses and disabilities. Because it is not as simple as being for or against, we've organized some compelling arguments that sit on both sides of the spectrum.

Those who support or consider expanding MAiD
VS
Those who oppose or consider limitations on MAiD
Timeline
by Meera Mahendiran

Mental health and MAID: An ongoing challenge

Parliament is looking into offering MAiD to people whose only underlying condition is a mental illness. But this might be premature. After all, shouldn't we first improve mental health care in Canada?

by Ralph Lewis

Depression and MAID: Terminally ill patients are often depressed. But that doesn’t mean they’re incompetent.

Depression biases a person’s outlook, but bias is not the same as mental incompetence. Doctors must balance protecting patients in vulnerable mental states from exercising poor judgment against respecting their autonomy.

See full debate