Drummond, Sinclair, Walker, Jones and Gladkov – Statistics Canada Identifies Deficiencies in Canadians’ Health: Governments Must Address Them Now
From: Don Drummond, Duncan Sinclair, David Walker, David Jones and Philipp Gladkov To: Canada’s Premiers Date: September 29, 2023 Re: Statistics Canada identifies deficiencies in Canadians’ health: Governments must address them now Two years ago, we argued that Canada pays insufficient attention to the promotion of good health and the collection of data and information on the health […] Jon Johnson – Current Republican Thoughts on Trade
From: Jon Johnson To: Canadian Trade Watchers Date: September 28, 2023 Re: Current Republican Thoughts on Trade On August 22, former President Trump proposed a “universal baseline tariff” of 10 percent on virtually all imports to the United States. The rationale: “When companies come in and they dump their products in the United States, they […]Solving Canada’s Housing Affordability Crisis with Romy Bowers and Bob Dugan
There are solutions to Canada’s housing crisis, but with high interest rates and falling housing starts, it takes innovation and a willingness to cut red tape. The CMHC’s Romy Bowers and Bob Dugan join Michael Hainsworth to discuss how we can double housing starts for single family homes – and purpose-built rentals. Robson, Laurin – More Inflation Pain: The Insidious Tax Effects
To: The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance From: William B.P. Robson and Alexandre Laurin Date: September 26, 2023 Re: More Inflation Pain: The Insidious Tax Effects Inflation in Canada has been above the Bank of Canada’s 2-percent target since early 2021. By the time the Bank’s own projections show it returning to 2 percent next August, the purchasing […] Colin Busby – RRSP or TFSA? Canadians Need Help to Make the Call
From: Colin Busby To: Retirement savings observers Date: September 25, 2023 Re: RRSP or TFSA? Canadians Need Help to Make the Call A successful savings plan is the product of both how much is saved and the returns on those savings, which one could call saving efficiency. This second aspect of savings decisions is often […] Statistics Canada finds deficiencies in Canadians’ health, which governments must address now – The Hill Times
Two years ago, we argued Canada pays insufficient attention to the promotion of good health and the collection of data and information on the health of Canadians. The focus has been on health care, the treatment and care of those already in ill health.
Policymakers could argue they did not have the full range of insights needed to implement a more comprehensive set of health policies at the time. However, thanks to a new report from Statistics Canada, there is no longer any excuse.
Unfortunately, the report clings to the custom of equating good health with the absence of disease, especially of chronic conditions, but does report on Canadians’ self-perception of their health status and…
Canada and its Provinces Fall Short When it Comes to Seniors’ Care
September 21 – Canada and its provinces, specifically Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec, can do more to improve access to seniors’ care and overall equity in the health system, a new E-Brief from the C.D Howe Institute shows. In “Shortcomings in Seniors’ Care: How Canada Compares to…Shortcomings in Seniors’ Care: How Canada Compares to its Peers and the Paths to Improvement
Among 11 countries surveyed by the Commonwealth Fund, Canada’s seniors’ care ranks eighth, ahead only of France, the UK and Sweden. At the provincial level, some provinces compare more favourably to international jurisdictions while others, particularly Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec, sit at the bottom of the ranking. PEI, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, rank […] Canada’s Marks for Caring for Older Adults
Every country has a different mix of policies, services and funding mechanisms that influence the functioning and results of their healthcare systems. Each country also has a limit to what can be spent on healthcare and might choose different strategies to try to optimize outcomes. By surveying populations about their perceptions and experiences with the […] Barry Gros – A Revised Scorecard for Ontario’s Proposed Framework for Target Benefits
To: Ontario’s Pension Policy Branch From: Barry Gros Date: September 20, 2023 Re: A Revised Scorecard for Ontario’s Proposed Framework for Target Benefits On September 1, the Ontario Ministry of Finance posted a Follow-Up Consultation Document on the regulation of target benefit pension plans, with a request for feedback by October 17. Among the three […] Kronick, Robson – Easy Populist Targets Lead to Bad Policy
From: Jeremy M. Kronick and William B.P. Robson To: Finance Ministers and Critics Date: September 19, 2023 Re: Easy Populist Targets Lead to Bad Policy In public policy, as in life generally, we often recognize mistakes by others more easily than we recognize mistakes we make ourselves. Italy just goofed big-time with a windfall tax on its banks, and […] Chris Bonnett – Two Options to Get Better Pharmacare Faster
From: Chris Bonnett To: Pharmacare Watchers Date: September 17, 2023 Re: Two Options to Get Better Pharmacare Faster Nothing is more dangerous than an idea. Émile Chartier is credited with those words or similar, finishing with “…when it’s the only one we have.” Canada has tried for nearly 80 years to implement “national pharmacare” – defined here as a […]