The industry will now be popping champagne: no Alberta nicotine cap, no flavour ban
The government of Alberta finally proposed legislation regulating vaping last week. But its Bill 19 is quite simply a cop-out. In the name of protecting children and youth, the bill mainly protects industry, and not children and youth. Alberta is the last Canadian province to regulate vaping and now makes minimal proposals: restricting advertising and…
Recent wake-up calls began when a Chinese article reported smoking increased the risk of becoming sicker by 14 times
The coronavirus is not just a threat. It’s an opportunity. The COVID-19 pandemic offers every smoker and vaper with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to quit: a wake-up call. The novel virus causes a respiratory disease that’s worse with lungs that are already vulnerable, whether because of age or disease. Lungs are also made vulnerable by smoking…
The first international Genetic Identity Day comes just as Health Canada seeks to prevent people from knowing their genetic identity
By Juliet Guichon and Ian Mitchell University of Calgary and Barry Stevens People have a moral right know their medical, social and cultural history, and the identity of their genetic parents. And this right applies to those who have been adopted or conceived by egg and sperm that were either sold or given. This moral…
The Act laudably puts children’s interests - rather than adult needs - first. It’s time we all did
By Juliet Guichon, Barry Stevens and Ian Mitchell Troy Media contributors The federal Assisted Human Reproduction Act is under attack by people who want to make it legal to buy ova, sperm and gestational capacity. Demand for babies is higher than supply and those who earn a living through the transactions aren’t happy. Incorrectly claiming…
While genome analysis can alter the very practice of medicine, there is a fear it can be used to discriminate on the ground of genetic characteristics
Recent statistics show an alarming increase in mouth and throat cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, especially among men
The evidence of the need to administer the HPV vaccine to all Canadian boys and girls is irrefutable. For 30 years, the Canadian Cancer Society has partnered with Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada to publish annual data about cancer in Canada. This year’s report warns of an alarming increase in mouth…
Trudeau government attempts to squirm out of implementing Supreme Court ruling on assisted dying for a suffering few
In an odd twist of Canadian history and fate, a British Columbia lawyer is defending the Supreme Court of Canada against the federal government. Almost a year ago, on Feb. 6, 2015, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that some Criminal Code sections were unconstitutional: it said that a very small group of people are entitled under…
The risks associated with HPV infection much greater than the risks associated with vaccination
By Juliet Guichon University of Calgary and Dr. Rupert Kaul University of Toronto The HPV (Human papilloma virus) vaccine was created to prevent an infection that causes cancer. That is pretty exciting. Given the power of HPV vaccine to prevent disease and death, a recent article in the Toronto Star, which appears to suggest that…
Legislating physician-assisted suicide is bound to be difficult, but there are ways to mitigate any adverse consequences
The Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision on assisted suicide last Friday means that, soon, doctors (and only doctors) may lawfully help competent adults, who are grievously and irremediably ill, to end their lives. Even though this litigation began in 2011 and is likely to cause less than 1 per cent of all Canadian deaths…