Election Wrap: Medical Profession Sparsely Represented in House of Commons

Early release, published at www.cmaj.ca on October 17, 2008. Subject to revision. News

Election wrap: medical profession sparsely represented in House of Commons

Early release. Published online at www.cmaj.ca on Oct. 17, 2008.

f economics truly is “the dismal science,”then Canadians might I well be tempted to conclude that politics is the dismal art. As they trekked to the polls on Oct. 14 to make their choices in the 40th general election, pollsters warned that all those voters seemed singularly unimpressed with their options — party leaders were largely uninspirational; campaigns lack- lustre and strategies mediocre, if not inco- herent. All parties seemed resolutely de- termined to avoid issues like health care. In fact, it barely made a ripple in the po-

litical pond throughout the 5-week cam- Reuters / Blair Gable paign despite being consistently rated as a Re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives at the Canada Reception Centre in Ot- major public concern. tawa, Ontario, a day after his Conservatives captured their second consecutive minority. Small wonder, then, that many eligi- ble voters did not make the trek, result- ing in a historic low turnout of 59%, as • Dr. Pierre Gfeller, general practi- • Dr. Martha Jo Willard, pathologist, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the tioner, Liberal (Laurentides-Labelle) Liberal (Brandon-Souris) governing Conservatives garnered 143 • Dr. Qais Ghanem, neurophysiolo- Faring even less favorably than seats and earned their second consecu- gist, Green Party (Ottawa South) physicians was the nursing profession. tive minority. The Liberals plummeted • Dr. Sean Godfrey, pediatrician, Lib- Of 22 candidates with a nursing back- to 76. The Bloc Quebecois held at 50, eral (Oshawa) ground, just one, Conservative Cathy while the New Democrats rose to 37. • Dr. Gordon Guyatt, professor, Mc- McLeod (Kamloops-Thompson-Cari- The Green Party was shut out, while 2 Master University Department of boo), the former mayor of Pemberton, independents were elected. Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatis- British Columbia, prevailed. Within that mix lies another harsh tics, New Democrat (Ancaster-Dun- As professions, physicians and reality: the medical community will das-Flamborough-Westdale) nurses will lag well behind lawyers continue to be sparsely represented • Dr. Eric Hoskins, general medicine/ (50) in Parliamentary representation. within Parliament. epidemiology, War Child Canada They also trailed political aides (32), There were 4 physicians in the president, youngest ever recipient of teachers (17), farmers (16), journalists House of Commons when it was dis- United Nations Association in (7) and restauranteurs (5). But they solved. There will be 4 in the new Par- Canada’s Lester B. Pearson Peace matched policeman (4) and chiroprac- liament, in fact, the same 4 stalwarts as medal, Liberal (Haldimand-Norfolk) tors (4). in the previous one. All are Liberals • Dr. Benson Lau, family physician, The 4 chiropractors all served in the and all are general practitioners:: Conservative (Scarborough Agin- past Parliament: • Dr. Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s) court) • Colin Carrie, Conservative (Os- • Dr. Hedy Fry (Vancouver Centre) • Dr. Robert O’Connor, family physi- hawa) • Dr. Keith Martin (Esquimalt Juan cian, Green Party (Bonavista-Gan- • Ruby Dhalla, Liberal (Brampton- De Fuca) der-Grand Falls-Windsor) Springdale) • Dr. Bernard Patry (Pierrefonds • Dr. André Sylvestre, family physi- • Gary Goodyear, Conservative Dollard). cian, Green Party (Pontiac) (Cambridge) It will be Bennett’s fifth term in the • Dr. Lionel Traverse, pediatrician, • James Lunney, Conservative House, while Martin, Fry and Patry Liberal (Abbotsford) (Nanaimo-Alberni) have now successfully run 6 times. • Dr. Georgina Wilcock, chief of the Dentist, Christian missionary and Eleven other physicians who Scarborough Hospital Department Conservative Harold Albrecht (Kitch- sought office saw their political aspi- of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ener-Conestoga) was the only other rations scuttled: Green Party (Don Valley West) health professional elected to Parliament.

But several other Members of Par- coke North), associate professor of • $5 million fund to attract Canadian liament do have at least a measure of health studies at the University of physicians practicing abroad to re- experience in dealing with health is- Toronto; as well as New Democrat turn to Canada. The Conservatives sues. Re-elected were: Conservative Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury), a former projected the fund would result in Diane Finley (Haldimand-Norfolk), manager of residential programs for the the repatriation of 300 physicians who helped establish the private ambu- handicapped. over 4 years lance services company Canadian Med- Almost as sparse as health profes- • $5 million/3 years to “develop re- ical Response; New Democrat Peter Ju- sion representation in the House of cruitment and retention strategies lian (Burnaby-New Westminster), Commons were actual health policy for the nursing profession.” executive director of the Western Insti- commitments made on the hustings, Other Conservative commitments tute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; particularly from Harper’s Conserva- were extremely broad in nature. New Democrat Brian Masse (Windsor tives, who essentially took no stance on Harper’s platform promises to “continue West), a long-time activist for the dis- 10 health issues during a CMAJ elec- to take creative measures to tackle major abled; and Bloc Quebecois Jean-Yves tion survey (CMAJ 2008;179[8]:757-8). lung, heart and neurological diseases.” Laforest (Saint Maurice-Champlain), Among the few commitments made The new government also vows to end former psychomotor rehabilitation spe- by the Conservatives were modest discriminatory life insurance practice cialist at the Trois-Rivières Regional measures to address the shortage of and crackdown on tobacco advertising General Hospital. doctors and nurses, including: in print and electronic media reach by Among newcomers to the House • $10 million per year over 4 years to children. — Wayne Kondro, CMAJ with a measure of health-related experi- fund 50 new residency spots in ence are: Liberal Kirsty Duncan (Etobi- teaching hospitals DOI:10.1503/cmaj.081688