The B.C. government has dismissed calls for further scrutiny of the contentious Bill 36 despite growing political opposition and a groundswell of petition signatures to recall the bill. Critics say the bill—the Health Professions and Occupations Act—gives the health minister sweeping powers previously wielded by regulatory colleges. “With Bill 36, doctors that make recommendations outside…

Commentary When the premiers were first called to a sit-down lunch to talk about health care with Prime Minister Trudeau, there was plenty of talk about the potential for systemic change, innovation, and accountability. It seemed that Canadians and their leaders were finally on the same page in recognizing that healthcare, as it is, is…

The federal government is prepared to increase federal health-care transfers to the provinces by over $196 billion over the next 10 years—which includes over $46 billion in new spending, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau met with all 13 provincial and territorial premiers in Ottawa on Feb. 7 to discuss the long-awaited health-care funding deal….

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says there’s “lots of work” to be done yet before the federal government can finalize its potential health-care funding increase to the provinces, which has been in the works for months. “[We need to] keep working very hard in the weeks to come because lots of work still needs to be…

Commentary Year-end interviews with politicians are often fluffy affairs. Leaders tend to pick friendly journalists and sit down for fireside chats where they will pat themselves on the back for their accomplishments over the year and make broad promises for the new year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s CBC year-end interview with Rosemary Barton was an…

Commentary No premier in living memory has had the courage to take the political gamble of pursuing systemic reform when it comes to health care. That may all change with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as she boldly has staked her political career on tackling the provincial health-care system. Rest assured every premier in Canada will…

The federal government is expected to table a long-awaited plan to improve access to diabetes treatment and prevention in Canada on Wednesday. Liberal MP Sonia Sidhu called for the new framework as part of a private member’s bill that became law in 2021. At the time, Diabetes Canada was clamouring for some kind of national…

Commentary In New Brunswick, 74,000 people are on a waiting list trying to find a family doctor, while some have even desperately taken to Twitter in hopes of finding one. In B.C., hospitals are cutting hours for their emergency rooms and primary care centres are on the brink of being overwhelmed. In Ontario, hospitals have been…