Ex-CMAJ Editor Retires from International Association Prime

FEDERAL POLITICS N EWS Prime Minister revives home care, pharmacare Prime Minister Paul Martin has this spring — and to make revived the notion of improved vowed to develop a 10-year plan health care the major plank in home and community services for health care reform that in- their campaign. and a national pharmaceutical cludes national home care and Citing the need for “publicly program. Former health minis- pharmacare programs that will funded, universally available ter Allan Rock tried to introduce provide “a fix for a generation.” health care” that will be there both, which Rock said ultimately In a major policy speech deliv- for the baby boom generation’s failed because the provinces did ered in Toronto April 16 to the grandchildren, Martin high- not want strings attached to fed- Canadian Club and the Empire lighted problems with human eral transfers. The 2 programs Club of Canada, Martin re-com- resources and waiting lists. The were largely absent from the mitted his government to making federal government will work Liberals’ 2000 election platform. health care its top priority. Al- with provinces and territories But Martin now appears deter- though he insisted that “reform to provide more spaces in med- mined to agree with provincial does not begin with a dollar sign ical school for young Canadians and territorial governments on a and end with a bunch of ze- and international medical grad- 10-year plan for stable funding. roes,” Martin said that the fed- uates, Martin said. He also He said he would meet with the eral government is “prepared ... committed to finding “an ap- premiers this summer “for as to invest more.” He did not, propriately expanded role for long as it takes.” however, specify a figure be- nurse practitioners and other The provinces, except Al- yond the $37 million he said the paramedical personnel.” berta, were cautiously receptive Liberals have already committed Martin appeared to be to Martin’s speech. Alberta’s in new money over 5 years. promising more transparency health minister says the province Just four days after Martin’s about waiting times, saying opposes any conditions on speech, Health Minister Pierre Canadians need to know how health care funding. Pettigrew promised a new rela- long it will take in their commu- Pettigrew promised to “en- tionship with the provinces over nities for tests, doctor visits, courage partnerships” and avoid health care, in his own address surgery and emergency atten- “top-down approaches” with the to a health policy summit in tion. He also alluded to the need provinces. Both Martin and Pet- Toronto. to “build on progress being tigrew said Ottawa will be The Liberals are widely ex- made in primary care renewal.” guided by the Romanow Com- pected to call an election later Returning to the Liberals’ mission’s work. — Laura Eggert- DOI:10.1053/cmaj.1040667 this year — perhaps as early as 1997 election platform, Martin son, CMAJ MEDICAL PUBLISHING Ex-CMAJ editor retires from international association Dr. Bruce Squires, a mentor to After 6 years as a vice-president searched for a way to be more in- medical editors in 77 countries, and 3 as secretary, he will con- clusive and encourage dialogue. recently stepped down from the tinue to chair the membership WAME was born in March 1995 board of the World Association committee and run the listserv. in Bellagio, Italy, at a time when of Medical Editors His resigna- communication using the World (WAME) 9 years af- tion prompted a Wide Web was just becoming ter he and 21 other deluge of email commonplace. Undeterred, the medical journal edi- messages from group soon launched the site tors founded the “vir- his many admir- (www.wame.org). tual” association. ers and col- “We wanted it to be accessi- In his various roles leagues, from ble,” said Squires. “It was put with WAME, the South America together to help the smaller or former CMAJ editor- to Iran, India to poorer journals, most of which in-chief (1986–1996) Barbara Sibbald South Africa. have part-time, volunteer edi- helped medical jour- Dr. Bruce Squires: the The seed for tors with fixed terms and very nals worldwide be- well-tempered editor WAME was little experience.” WAME also come more profes- planted in re- keeps the big guns on target, sional and connected. WAME sponse to concerns about the ex- Squires says. “Since we demand has 1051 members representing clusiveness of the International integrity, we have to demon- 650 journals, and Squires has Committee of Medical Journal strate integrity ourselves.” — DOI:10.1053/cmaj.1040599 virtually “talked” to them all. Editors in 1993 as editors Barbara Sibbald, CMAJ 1524 JAMC • 11 MAI 2004; 170 (10).

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