Canadians take pride in the health care system. However, access to health care services across Canada remains an ongoing challenge. The pressures within our system – an aging population, chronic illness, hallway medicine and increased demand, among others – have only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadians, be they patients, health care workers, or otherwise, expect more from their health care system. 

On February 7, 2023, and subsequently in Budget 2023, the Government of Canada outlined its plan to invest close to $200 billion over 10 years to improve health care services for Canadians, including a commitment by all levels of government to improve how health information is collected, shared and used by adopting common standards and policies. 

In this episode, we learn more about how the Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories, health data partners, and other stakeholders to modernize Canada’s health data system. We also hear from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) to contextualize the necessity and impact of pan-Canadian efforts to modernize Canada’s health data system. With a federal health plan that puts health data front and centre, this episode will explore what the future state could be for Canadians and the health care system with more robust, quality data – using cancer as a tangible example. 

Jo Voisin is Assistant Deputy Minister at Health Canada's Strategic Policy Branch. 

In her ten years working at Health Canada, she was instrumental in the negotiation of the Common Statement of Principles and health agreements with provinces and territories in 2017, focused on funding for home and community care, and mental health and addictions. She occupied several executive leadership positions, including in federal-provincial-territorial relations, health product regulation, horizontal policy and public health. Jo returned to Health Canada in 2020 to support Canada’s efforts to fight COVID-19 after two years working in youth employment policy. 

Jo also worked in social policy at the Privy Council Office, and in economic policy at Treasury Board Secretariat and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Jo is an avid weekend and vacation cyclist, as well as an artist.

Dr. Stuart Edmonds joined the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) in February 2020 following the amalgamation with Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC). As Executive Vice President of Mission, Research and Advocacy, he oversees the Research and Advocacy teams.Prior to the amalgamation, Stuart spent eight years at PCC as Vice President of Research, Health Promotion and Survivorship. He has held leadership roles at several national cancer research institutes and government agencies. Stuart holds a Doctorate in pharmacology from Oxford University.

There is a strong belief in Canada that our health system is inherently “universal” and “public”, despite longstanding and long-term collaborations between partners from across sectors.

Recent debates about the pros and cons of opening health care to “other organizations” have ramped up on the heels of Ontario’s February 2023 announcement to expand the role of private clinics in the province’s delivery of health care. Not up for debate; however, are the pressures within the system – an aging population, a health human resource crisis, a rise in chronic illness and barriers accessing care.

Traditional thinking and old solutions won’t address these crises. The question then becomes “what is the right mix of new policies and programs that can provide Canadians with the kind of high-quality, accessible, publicly funded health care that seems increasingly out of reach?”

In this podcast episode, Ross Wallace is joined by Bernard Lord, Chief Executive Officer of Medavie, to explore the private delivery of publicly funded health care services, and the value of collaboration to meet the health care needs of Canadians. 

First Nations communities experience inequitable access to health care, as well as a disproportionate burden of harm related to substance use. It is now widely recognized that this reality reflects the impact of policies implemented to assimilate Indigenous peoples, as well as the effects of grief and chronic trauma on First Nations communities. These policies have had devastating intergenerational impacts and unfavourably shaped First Nations health outcomes.

With April being Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and April 11 being World Parkinson’s Day, Parkinson Canada is sharing the story of the “Why”; why Parkinson’s continues to be so prominent in Canada. Parkinson Canada is also sharing the “How”, exploring the four pillars of support Parkinson Canada provides, including funding critical research, providing support programs and resources, advocating alongside people living with Parkinson’s, and building awareness for the disease.

Canadians rightfully ask why it takes so long to access new, innovative medicines. Government’s ability to review, approve and regulate the marketing of drugs is a robust, complex process. This is particularly true in Canada for people who need treatments for rare diseases, where access can vary based on where they are located in the country.

While the federal government has spent the last two years focused on the COVID-19 response, one of Health Canada’s key policy objectives is to create a National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases, and to decide on how to invest the $500 million a year that it set to flow in 2022.

In this episode, Peter Cleary is joined by Rute Fernandes, General Manager of Takeda Canada, a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the development of rare disease medications. They discuss global best practices to develop better approaches to provide access to these critical medications, and what Canada can learn from other OECD countries and their rare disease drug strategies.

Across Canada, access to health care remains an ongoing challenge and the pressures within our system – aging population, chronic illness, hallway medicine and increased demand – have only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As health care continues to be debated in legislatures, virtual forums and at dinner tables across the country, we must ask hard questions and find ways to reimagine the way Canadians access health care services, programs and information.

In this episode, Ross Wallace is joined by Bernard Lord, Chief Executive Officer of Medavie, a health solutions partner, to discuss innovative, collaborative, patient-focused approaches to health and care that help people stay healthy and in their homes as long as possible, help them navigate the health care system when they do need it and ultimately ensure they receive care at the right time and in the right place.

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Bernard Lord is the Chief Executive Officer of Medavie.

In his role, Bernard provides strategic leadership to further the organization’s mission to improve the wellbeing of Canadians. Previously, Bernard spent almost a decade on the Board of Medavie, served as President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association of Canada, and served as Premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. He sits on boards of several companies and organizations and, most recently, was appointed as chair of the International Federation of Health Plans.

Moving beyond COVID-19 will require a multi-faceted solution that involves government, the health care sector and the will of the Canadian population.  Pre-existing issues that have been amplified throughout the pandemic, including the health human resource crisis. Advocates have called on all levels of government to address the shortage of staff across the continuum of care. With time running out to train, recruit and retain staff to support the ageing population in Canada, solutions need to be actioned immediately.

In this series, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on frontline health care workers, the programs that have attracted and/or caused staff to leave and solutions to this crisis as policy makers need to act immediately.

Our first episode focuses on home and community care in Ontario. The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents over 220 not-for-profit organizations that provide a variety of health and wellness services to Ontarians. OCSA’s home and community care members have struggled throughout the pandemic pivoting to offering their services virtually.

Vaccination numbers are rising and Canada is now emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode spotlights the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH) and how the organization is incorporating key lessons learned as it prepares to refresh its own strategy later this year.

CADTH’s previous strategic plan covered the period of 2018-2021, but due to the all-consuming obligations of COVID-19, the Agency decided to postpone the creation and launch of a new plan by 12 months. CADTH is now in the early days of formulating and crystallizing new strategic priorities that will come into effect April 1, 2022.

In this episode, Ross Wallace is joined by CADTH President & CEO Suzanne McGurn to discuss CADTH’s role during the pandemic, the Agency’s areas of future focus, global trends in health technology assessment – and their impact on Canada – and Suzanne's own insights after 12 months at the helm of the organization.

Ontario has been in and out of lockdowns over the past year. Experts have alluded to a fourth wave that could be more disastrous than the first three due to the mental health and addiction crises that have been pushed aside due to COVID-19. With more Ontarians facing addictions and mental health challenges now than ever before, we are checking the temperature of mental health and addictions in Ontario.

In this episode, Adrienne Spafford, CEO of Addictions and Mental Health Ontario, Camille Quenneville, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario Division, and Kimberly Moran, CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario discuss the impact of the pandemic and where policy makers must focus their attention as we move beyond COVID-19.