Senior care deserves priority action in the aftermath of the election
This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.
Continuing care, safe long-term care, Canada Health Act, care not profit, all should be on the new government agenda
“The federal government did fund the development of new standards for nursing homes but then it has done little with those standards. We need more beds, more staff and enforced standards. As with hospital care, the federal government could use its spending power to play a critical role, doing so through the promised Safe Long-term Care Act. . .Of course good and fair health care costs money. But we have to remember that investments in care are an investment in the economy, in equity and in solidarity. . . We need to put senior care back on the agenda in the aftermath of this election,” wrote Pat Armstrong, Canadian Health Coalition Board member and Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology, York University, in The Conversation, April 18, 2025.
More U.S. docs looking to practice in Canada, and we should welcome them
“We should be concerned for American patients who can’t access the health care they need. And we should take no pleasure when colleagues feel that their work lives have become so untenable that they would consider leaving the country. . . Having said that, we could use their help. At a time when 6.5 million Canadians don’t have a family doctor, we shouldn’t say no to any qualified health-care worker who wants to move here, whether from the U.S. or anywhere else,” wrote Dr. Danielle Martin, family physician and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, in Toronto Star, April 28, 2025.
Canadian Medical Association calls for action post-election
“The important voter turnout speaks to the urgency of the moment and the need for solutions, including access to health care for all Canadians. While there are many competing issues to address, let’s be clear that health is key among them. We cannot have a healthy Canadian economy without healthy Canadians. . . The solutions we outlined were clearly heard – we are pleased to see commitments to train more doctors, remove barriers for physicians to practice where needed, support our publicly funded health system and fast-track entry for US doctors moving to Canada,” said Canadian Medical Association President Dr. Joss Reimer, in a post-election news release, April 29, 2025.
The power Ottawa has over health care
“(The federal government) can play an important role in aligning our various health systems, especially as we are facing an aging population with increasing needs and burdens. . . Remember, this whole health system started when we had far more younger folks than older adults (recent Statistics Canada data show that about one in five Canadians were 65 or older as of July 2023; that number was one in 10 back in 1984). . .You need a systemic view about this and not just the kind of free-market perspective that health care providers should be able to move anywhere and everywhere,” said Medical sociologist Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Canada Research Chair in Policies and Health Inequalities, to CBC News, April 19, 2025.
World Health Organization members agree on plan for future pandemics
“This is a historic moment and a show that, with or without the U.S., countries are committed to working together and to the power of multilateralism,” said Nina Schwalbe, founder of global health think tank Spark Street Advisers, to Reuters news agency, CBC News, April 16, 2025.
Rocky relationship with U.S.A. means urgent need to protect patient information in Canada
“Our health data is the most valuable health data set in the world . . .You can’t go to any other jurisdiction and be able to pool a data set like this because no one else has a public health system like this with the kind of ethnic diversity that we do. . . Putting valuable data and intellectual property in the hands of a Canadian subsidiary to a foreign multinational is essentially like handing it to a foreign multinational. And so this is where there’s a lot of confusion,” said Natalie Raffoul, intellectual property lawyer in Ottawa, to Winnipeg Free Press/Canadian Press, April 24, 2025.
Cancer Society calls on next federal government to help Canadians affected by cancer costs
“The last thing you need is to then think about how do I balance my cheque book this month?” said Stephen Piazza, director of advocacy at Canadian Cancer Society, to CBC News, April 26, 2025, adding that people need to focus on their treatment plan and telling family members, not budgeting for medical expenses.
Immigrants sustain health care renewal
“In 2021, recent immigrants (those admitted between 2016 and 2021) and non-permanent residents together accounted for nearly 24 per cent of all nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates aged 25 to 34. In other words, almost one in four young workers in these occupations were newcomers to Canada. . .This pattern repeats in other health fields. Among medical specialists aged 25 to 34, 8.6 per cent were non-permanent residents – a notable share – while another 2.2 per cent were recent immigrants. These newcomers are helping to improve renewal ratios in specialties that require many years of education and training,” said Colin R. Singer, Managing Partner of immigration.ca, licensed immigration lawyer with Barreau du Quebec, for the last 35 years, published by Immigration.ca, April 28, 2025.
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