Policy and Politics

‘Cruising down the wellness lane’: Program helps people struggling with addiction, mental illness find work on road to recovery

Supported Employment is a “golden ticket” for those struggling with mental-health challenges and addictions – and is therapeutic for employers and employees alike.

The Discount Code Doctor is in

There are different ways doctors use social media, all of which hinge on the authority that a medical degree provides. But the rise of the physician influencer begs the question: How should doctors present themselves online?

Can we afford to keep ignoring the health of unpaid caregivers?

Unpaid caregivers must be a priority focus if we are to sustain the future of our healthcare system. We absolutely cannot afford to keep the health of unpaid caregivers in Canada invisible.

Governments should pay the high price of gene therapy

For the first time in history, Health Canada has approved a gene therapy treatment for people with Hemophilia B. But gene therapy is not cheap. Canada needs to step in and help fund these treatments.

A rallying cry for family medicine – and other health-care professionals 

Right now, health-care workers, and especially physicians, need a rallying cry to up their fight, not a call to retreat.

Why screening guideline committees should not include ‘experts’ as voting members

The challenge to those who do not like the Canadian Task Force recommendations is this: Can you provide or research the new evidence required to show how a different policy is better?

Dr. AI & Me

AI is here to stay. But with its rapidly evolving nature, could it eventually replace real-life physicians?

Palliative care as a true art form

When the foundation of communication begins to crumble, what will be the pillar health-care professionals can lean on to support patients afflicted with dementia during their final days?

Increase in online ADHD diagnoses for kids poses ethical questions

During the pandemic, Ontario swapped out in-clinic ADHD assessment and prescriptions for a virtual care model. Should we continue allowing it for kids?

Expansion of community paramedicine one step in meeting the needs of struggling health-care systems

Community paramedicine, in which paramedics play a more active role in treating patients without transferring them to hospital, can help alleviate strain placed on emergency departments and primary care.

Tackling HIV stigma: Why it’s important and what needs to be done

Experiences of HIV-related stigma are still incredibly high in Canada. However, given the continued lack of understanding about how stigma makes people feel unwell, it is a challenge to design solutions to reduce its impact.

‘We strongly urge the Premier to reconsider’: Statement from Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the Alberta Medical Association

Please leave politicians out of the exam room. Proposed changes to transgender health policies set a dangerous precedent

Government insertion into medical care is a dangerous step for all Canadians. While it may seem limited to a small minority of people, it sets a precedent that health care is subject to the whims of the current political party. Medical decision-making should be left to the patient and the provider.

Public health and urban planning go hand in hand. Why aren’t we doing more to promote cycling?

As a society, we need to examine our own blind spots and biases when it comes to all road users to create human-scale urban environments that nudge us toward healthier, safer, equitable and financially savvy transport.

Beyond adaptation and resilience: A call for health-care transformation

A key challenge we face is to envision a health-care system that is compatible with a future society that is in turn compatible with the Earth’s limited biocapacity and resources. That would be a resilient health-care system.

Strengthening Canada’s focus on mitigation: Reflections on the COP28 and climate and health

The health sector is an economic giant. Thus, it must play a significant role in strengthening Canada’s focus on climate change mitigation, including reducing its own contributions to climate change.

Who you are and where you live shouldn’t determine your ability to survive cancer

Let us commit to a future in which all people have the resources and support to prevent and treat cancer so that no one is left behind.

New flu vaccination guidance boosts protection for our most vulnerable

We should put all efforts into achieving our 80 per cent goal of getting older Canadians better protected against the more serious and deadly consequences of influenza in a more cost-effective way.

Health sector leadership on climate and health: Reflections on COP28 and climate and health

The Declaration on Climate and Health issued at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in December failed an important test. But while political leadership is lacking, health sector leadership is building.

Reflections on the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health. Where it fails

For the first time in 30 years, the UN's annual COP28 Climate Conference had a day devoted to health. But world ministers, including Canada's, could not bring themselves to take a bold stance.