If we can be ‘enlightened witnesses’ and listen without judgment, we can help the healing process
Much of the study of genocide has focused on how it happens and what it looks like. This is important but perhaps we need to go further. What do people go through after these crimes have been committed? What happens to children? There are many amazing books written by survivors of genocide: Viktor Frankl’s Man’s…
Our efforts to stop crime and violence through aggression and punishment have never worked. Compassion works
It’s no secret that there’s tremendous pain in the world. What we’re not often aware of is the source of this pain. Not knowing where it’s from, we give into fear and actually make the problem worse. Canadian physician Gabor Mate has devoted his career to understanding why people do terrible things to themselves and…
Government is called upon for yet more legislation and more money when the real problem is poor parenting
Five calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report concern child welfare. They are all destined to fail. The calls to action focus on increasing funding for Indigenous welfare, establishing national standards for the various agencies, keeping Indigenous children in culturally-relevant homes, and reducing the number of Indigenous children in the…Developmentally delayed children come into a failing welfare system due to irresponsible parents placing substance abuse ahead of their children
More than half of Winnipeg’s Indigenous homeless population are former wards of Child and Family Services (CFS). A former CFS ward explained on CBC recently that the 50 per cent figure was too low, not taking into account the significant number of former wards who “couch surf.” This group relies on the kindness of acquaintances…
No amount of funding plans or reorganization can solve this problem as long as alcohol and drug abuse persists in First Nations communities
We want simple answers. But, sometimes, there aren’t any. Take Manitoba’s child welfare system, for example. We want to find a solution to a problem that has plagued us for generations: What to do about the huge numbers of Indigenous children taken into the care of child welfare agencies each year? Meetings are held in…
As the trade in counterfeit drugs grows, so do the risks to Canadian patients and the costs to legitimate manufacturers
The threat of counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs is on the rise in Canada. From April 2016 to March 2017, Health Canada seized close to 5,500 packages of counterfeit drugs – mainly sexual enhancement drugs such as Viagra – on their way to patient hands. In a single week last year, Health Canada confiscated $2.5 million worth…
The opioid manufacturer admits to illegal activity in the U.S., stops ads there and pays hundreds of millions in penalties. In Canada, it's business as usual
By Nav Persaud University of Toronto and Andrew S. Boozary University Health Network Canadians are paying dearly for government inaction over the opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma recently announced that it will stop advertising opioids to doctors in the United States after pleading guilty to misleading marketing more than a decade ago. This is a major,…
Free prescription drugs skew people away from healthy lifestyles and spread the financial burden to taxpayers who don’t qualify for the drug plans
Ontario taxpayers receive nothing but bad news from their politicians on drugs. In April 2017, both the Liberal government and the opposition NDP proposed expensive drug plans. The one proposed by Liberals took effect on Jan. 1, to the detriment of the public purse. It isn’t a prescription for affordable public health, it’s a prescription…
The Liberal strategy faces a Senate roadblock, questions about police preparedness and concerns that the provinces won't be ready by July 1
Happy New Year, everyone! It’s time to remove the thick layer of dust off the crystal ball and predict what Canadians will witness in 2018. Besides some obvious choices – more mind-blowing tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continuing to stumble after every fifth word or so – the issue that could…
A private retail model offers more entrepreneurship overall, particularly in rural areas, and better distribution
Allowing private cannabis retailers in Nova Scotia would be most consistent with the One Nova Scotia Report and good for entrepreneurs. Yet the online survey the Nova Scotia government organized to ‘consult’ the public about cannabis distribution betrayed a preference for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. (NSLC) to monopolize retail. New Brunswick and Ontario will…