Policy and Politics

1300 articles:
by Peter Downs

‘It’s not about greed, it’s about need’: Wage gap reduces patient access at primary care clinic

Amanda Rainville, a nurse practitioner and executive director at a rural primary care clinic in Capreol, Ont., says she feels the impact of the wage gap in the community health sector on a daily basis.

by Peter Downs

Wage gap boosts ‘make it that much harder to recruit’

Competition for qualified staff willing to work on the front lines of the community support services is growing fiercer, says Janet Williams, Vice President of Human Resources, CHATS-Community & Home Assistance to Seniors.

by Peter Downs

Closing the gap: The urgent need to support Ontario’s community health workers

Without action, we will see services cut, wait times grow longer, and more overcrowding in our emergency departments and hospitals – all at a time when the impact of the trade war could increase demand for community health services, including mental health supports.

by Sarah Hobbs

Community oversight essential to improving primary care in Ontario

It’s time to roll up our sleeves and choose to build a primary care system that can truly stand as the foundation for Ontario’s health and social systems.

by Maddi Dellplain

LifeLabs strike highlights risks of foreign ownership in Canadian health care

The months-long strike at British Columbia’s LifeLabs has raised questions about foreign ownership of medical services and Canadians’ health data.

by Eberechukwu Peace Akadinma Breanna Barker Ola Abanta Thomas Obewu

Changes to the Canada Health Act could help address Ontario’s health system issues. Will the province be on board?

The successful implementation of the Canadian Health Act (CHA) reform due to take place in April 2026 will depend on provincial cooperation rather than competition between health-care professionals.

by Margaret McGregor

Harms from fossil fuel expansion are absent from this election campaign. Why we need to worry

Calls for rapid scaling of fossil fuel projects not only ignore the impacts of these industries on atmospheric warming but fail to consider their direct effects on human health.

by Lyne Filiatrault Arijit Chakravarty David Fisman

Who’ll be Canada’s next Chief Public Health Officer? You should care

We need someone who learns from the past, applies the precautionary principle, engages with evolving science from multiple disciplines, and earns public trust by speaking hard truths.

by Kate Mattocks

Canada’s next government must prioritize perinatal mental health

Perinatal mental health should remain a political priority for the next government. There is substantial urgency to act so that people at risk can get the help they need.

by Margaret McGregor Amira Aker Willow Thickson Julia Robson Brittany Bingham

Integrating environmental justice into environmental health research. How are we doing?

The journey of embedding of environmental justice principles in health research has only just begun. But it is more important now than ever for researchers to undertake this work.

by Kevin Zhao

DEI dying: Why sex/gender in health research should matter to us all

As the U.S. disengages with sex differences research, Canada must double down on its own research program. Science takes years to bear fruit – the research we invest in today are the therapies we have tomorrow.

by Laura Targownik

My birth sex is part of my medical history; it should be as private as the rest of my medical history

Insisting on primary birth sex identification for trans people does little to improve the health of trans and gender diverse persons; it merely exchanges one theoretical set of adverse health care outcomes for others that are definite and far more impactful.

by Blake Murdoch David Elfstrom Zack Deis

The simple metal box that could change the world

This quiet, repairable metal air cleaner is an inexpensive long-term disease prevention tool for public spaces.

by James Dickinson

Managing measles better (and cheaper) with family physician home visits

After many years of near absence, measles is back, and public health is scrambling to control its spread. It's time to rethink our strategies for care.

by Joss Reimer

Trade war yet another blow to patient care in Canada

The Trump administration’s trade war is sowing chaos and uncertainty around the world. Its effects on Canada's health-care system are no exception.

by Timothy Caulfield

Vaccine safety, politics and the nocebo effect

The nocebo effect has an important role to play in vaccine uptake and safety. We must vigorously counter the misinformation and political spin that helps to fuel the accelerating vaccine concern vortex.

by Indu Subramanian

Decades after it was declared eliminated, I fear the heartbreaking, avoidable consequences of measles

Fatal encephalitis from measles technically and biologically could be abolished as a human disease. Yet, I fear the downstream consequences of what the anti-vaccine movement could bring.

by Maddi Dellplain

How health care works in Canada: What to know ahead of the federal election

With voters heading to the polls on April 28, we figured it’s time for a refresher on how health policy is made and where the parties stand.

by Elaine Hu

No physician should be punished for advocating for life-saving services during the toxic drug crisis

As a young doctor-in-training, I feel obligated to speak out against Island Health's unethical treatment of Jessica Wilder.

by Jackie Manthorne

Want to know where we are with cancer care? Don’t ask Ontario

A provincial election and talk of tariffs have taken up much of Ontario’s attention recently but we shouldn’t lose sight of that other problem: health care.

2 of 65