In this week’s episode of Policy Speaking, our host and PPF’s President and CEO Edward Greenspon sits down with Dr. David Naylor (past Dean of Medicine and President Emeritus at the University of Toronto) and Jodi Butts (lawyer, entrepreneur and self-described healthcare nerd) to discuss the new Omicron variant. They compare public health measures taken with Omicron and previous variants, and discuss reactions from Canadians as we approach a second holiday season in this pandemic. Dr. Naylor and Ms. Butts also examine lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and building domestic supply capacity. Finally, they look at policy considerations, such as global vaccine equity, the effectiveness of travel bans and improving Canada’s healthcare system.

During Today in Policy, Katie and Edward chatted about Canada’s progress on gender equality and the representation of women in politics including the contrast between the 100th anniversary of the election of the first female member of Parliament and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

This episode included a #PPFProud shout out Ability New Brunswick. PPF believes that diversity and inclusion are essential ingredients of good policy in a better Canada. And we thank Ability New Brunswick for their role in developing public policy that builds towards more inclusive communities for persons with a mobility disability.