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Author: Lorian Hardcastle Page 4 of 6

J.D. (Dalhousie), LL.M. and S.J.D. (Toronto). Assistant Professor. Please click here for more information.

Recent Health System Reforms: Sustainability Measures or a Push to Privatization?

By: Lorian Hardcastle

PDF Version: Recent Health System Reforms: Sustainability Measures or a Push to Privatization?

Matter Commented On: Recent health policy changes in Alberta

Health care costs are undoubtedly a pressing policy issue, with Alberta spending an estimated $7658 per person in 2019. Since the election, the UCP has taken various steps to aggressively contain health spending. While reducing the deficit is a laudable goal, recent changes may save little money and could worsen the health of Albertans and undermine the public health care system.

Canadian Women Still Struggling with Access to Reproductive Care

By: Lorian Hardcastle

PDF Version: Canadian Women Still Struggling with Access to Reproductive Care

Matter Commented On: Federal and provincial barriers to medical abortion

Fifty years after Henry Morgentaler disregarded restrictive federal laws that limited access to abortion and opened his first clinic in Montreal, the health care system continues to fail women by not providing them with evidence-based reproductive care. This post will explore the barriers women face in accessing abortion services at the federal and provincial levels.

Will Alberta’s Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers Improve Public Health?

By: Lorian Hardcastle

PDF Version: Will Alberta’s Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers Improve Public Health?

Matter Commented On: Litigation Against Opioid Manufacturers

Opioid-related deaths and injuries are a critical public health issue, with one Canadian dying every two hours due to opioids. Individuals who become addicted to prescribed opioids may progress to buying legal products on the black market or taking illegal substances like heroin. Heroin is increasingly laced with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, which can be lethal even in small doses. In 2018, 73% of accidental opioid-related deaths in Canada involved synthetic opioids.

Canadian Cannabis Regulation Part II: Edibles, Extracts, and Topicals

By: Lorian Hardcastle

PDF Version: Canadian Cannabis Regulation Part II: Edibles, Extracts, and Topicals

Legislation Commented On: Cannabis RegulationsSOR/2018-144

In October 2018, the federal government legalized the sale and possession of recreational dried cannabis, cannabis oil, and fresh cannabis, plants, and seeds. Effective October 17, 2019, these legal changes were extended to four additional categories of products: edible cannabis (including food and beverages), cannabis extracts for ingestion (typically in capsule form), cannabis extracts for inhalation, and topical cannabis (products for external use on skin, hair, and nails).

Pharmacare…Long Overdue

By: Lorian Hardcastle

PDF Version: Pharmacare…Long Overdue

Matter Commented On: Interim report from the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare

Canadian Medicare has traditionally focused on hospital and physician services due, in large part, to the fact that the Canada Health Act, RSC 1985, c C-6, provides for federal/provincial cost-sharing for these services. The exclusion of pharmaceuticals made sense at the inception of Medicare in the 1950s, as there were few effective drugs at the time. However, the ensuing decades have seen a proliferation of new drugs that significantly reduced morbidity and mortality. For example, statins, which lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart attack by approximately 25%, came into clinical use in the late 1980s. They are now taken by millions of Canadians and represent the second largest category of pharmaceutical spending (after certain types of cancer drugs). The increasing prevalence and efficacy of pharmaceuticals and their growing costs have led to calls for universal pharmaceutical insurance (referred to as pharmacare).

On Wednesday, the federally-appointed Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare released their initial recommendations. Notably, they recommended that “Canadian residents have access to prescription drugs based on medical need, without financial or other barriers to access.” Universal pharmacare would make Canada’s health care system more equitable and prevent needless morbidity and mortality. It would also bring Canada in line with other countries. According to a recent report, “every developed country with a universal health care system provides universal coverage of prescription drugs—except Canada.”

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