Federal Election Wrap

News treatment in British Columbia. But under Federal election wrap: medical the trade agreement, a party cannot seek better treatment in one jurisdiction be- profession to be sparsely represented cause it is offered in another. In a post on worldtradelaw.typepad in House of Commons .com, Grierson-Weiler expressed his concern that these types of cases attract too Published at www.cmaj.ca on Oct. 17, 2008. Within that mix lies another harsh much attention: “Such stories don’t just reality: the medical community will provide some modicum of credibility for f economics truly is “the dismal continue to be sparsely represented manifestly incredulous legal claims; they science,” then voters might well within Parliament. reinforce commonly-held beliefs about I be tempted to conclude that poli- There were 4 physicians in the the sacred quality of a method of so- tics is the dismal art. House of Commons when it was dis- cialised medicine that verge upon some As Canadians trekked to the polls on solved. There will be 4 in the new Par- sort of political existentialism.” Oct. 14 to make their choices in the 40th liament — in fact, the same 4 stalwarts Dr. Danielle Martin, chair of Cana- general election, pollsters warned that all as in the previous one. All are Liberals dian Doctors for Medicare, is not so those voters seemed singularly unim- and all are general practitioners: quick to dismiss Howard’s attack on pressed with their options — party lead- • Dr. Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s) Canada’s health care system. With ers were largely uninspiring; campaigns • Dr. Hedy Fry (Vancouver Centre) more and more private health care lacklustre and strategies mediocre, if not • Dr. Keith Martin (Esquimalt Juan providers opening shop in Canada, incoherent. All parties seemed resolutely De Fuca) pressure from US investors is in- determined to avoid issues like health • Dr. Bernard Patry (Pierrefonds evitable, she says. “The threat is real. care. In fact, it barely made a ripple in the Dollard). … If it’s not him, it will probably be political pond throughout the 5-week It will be Bennett’s fifth term in the someone else. Once the big guys come campaign despite being consistently rated House, while Martin, Fry and Patry in, we’ll have real problems.” as a major public concern. have now successfully run 6 times. Howard believes his case is strong Small wonder, then, that many eligi- Eleven other physicians who because circumstances have changed ble voters did not make the trek, result- sought office saw their political aspi- since the trade agreement came into ef- ing in a historic low turnout of 59% as rations scuttled: fect. “In 1994, the government maybe Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the • Dr. Pierre Gfeller, general practi- had a case that medicare was grandfa- governing Conservatives garnered 143 tioner, Liberal (Laurentides-Labelle) thered in, but today, in 2008, the seats and earned their second consecu- • Dr. Qais Ghanem, neurophysiolo- medicare program has eroded. There are tive minority. The Liberals plummeted gist, Green Party (Ottawa South) private centres all around.” He also to 76. The Bloc Quebecois held at 50, • Dr. Sean Godfrey, pediatrician, Lib- claims many Canadian politicians en- while the New Democrats rose to 37. eral (Oshawa) couraged his plans in private but dis- The Green Party was shut out, while 2 • Dr. Gordon Guyatt, professor, Mc- tanced themselves from him in public. independents were elected. Master University Department of As well, Howard wants the issue of US investment in Canadian health care brought into the open. “It involves much more than just making a profit. I want Canadians to have the best care, and they can’t get that under the status quo. But mainly I’m doing this because I’ve had enough of the hypocrisy.” Even if he fails to get a penny from the Canadian government, Howard says he will continue to look for ways to in- vest in Canadian health care. “I’m not done with Canada. I know that I can bring a lot more in terms of health care services to Canada. I have family and friends there, and I’m not going to aban- don them because the government can’t

decide who it wants to be.” — Roger Reuters / Blair Gable Collier, CMAJ Re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives at the Canada Reception Centre in Ot- tawa, Ontario, a day after his Conservatives captured their second consecutive minority. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.081703

Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatis- who helped establish the private ambu- For the record tics, New Democrat (Ancaster-Dun- lance services company Canadian Med- das-Flamborough-Westdale) ical Response; New Democrat Peter Ju- Apology measures • Dr. Eric Hoskins, general medicine/ lian (Burnaby-New Westminster), epidemiology, War Child Canada executive director of the Western Insti- proliferate president, youngest ever recipient of tute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; United Nations Association in New Democrat Brian Masse (Windsor Canadian physicians seeking to im- Canada’s Lester B. Pearson Peace West), a long-time activist for the dis- prove the way they communicate with medal, Liberal (Haldimand-Norfolk) abled; and Bloc Quebecois Jean-Yves patients who’ve been harmed are get- • Dr. Benson Lau, family physician, Laforest (Saint Maurice-Champlain), ting plenty of assistance this year as Conservative (Scarborough Agin- former psychomotor rehabilitation spe- provincial governments and national or- court) cialist at the Trois-Rivières Regional ganizations unveil measures to promote • Dr. Robert O’Connor, family physi- General Hospital. accountability and transparency. cian, Green Party (Bonavista-Gan- Among newcomers to the House Ontario and Alberta will likely be- der-Grand Falls-Windsor) with a measure of health-related experi- come the fourth and fifth provinces, re- • Dr. André Sylvestre, family physi- ence are: Liberal Kirsty Duncan (Etobi- spectively, to pass “apology acts” after cian, Green Party (Pontiac) coke North), associate professor of introducing legislation in October. • Dr. Lionel Traverse, pediatrician, health studies at the University of And earlier this year, guidelines for Liberal (Abbotsford) Toronto; and New Democrat Glenn disclosing harm to patients were re- • Dr. Georgina Wilcock, chief of the Thibeault (Sudbury), a former manager leased, separately, by the Canadian Pa- Scarborough Hospital Department of residential programs for the handi- tient Safety Institute and the Canadian of Obstetrics and Gynecology, capped. Medical Protective Association. Green Party (Don Valley West) Almost as sparse as health profes- • Dr. Martha Jo Willard, pathologist, sion representation in the House of Liberal (Brandon-Souris) Commons were actual health policy Faring even less favorably than commitments made on the hustings, physicians were nurses. Of 22 candi- particularly from Harper’s Conserva- dates with a nursing background, just tives, who essentially took no stance on one, Conservative Cathy McLeod 10 health issues during a CMAJ election (Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo), the survey (CMAJ 2008;179[8]:757-8). former mayor of Pemberton, British Among the few commitments made Columbia, prevailed. by the Conservatives were modest As health professionals, physicians measures to address the shortage of

and nurses will lag well behind lawyers doctors and nurses, including: Photos.com (50) in Parliamentary representation. • $10 million per year over 4 years to They also trailed political aides (32), fund 50 new residency spots in Apology legislation aims to promote “open and frank” discussion. teachers (17), farmers (16), journalists teaching hospitals (7) and restauranteurs (5) but matched • A $5 million fund to attract Cana- policeman (4) and chiropractors (4). dian physicians practising abroad to The guidelines and the provincial The 4 chiropractors all served in the return to Canada. The Conservatives laws complement each other, since the past Parliament: projected the fund would result in intent of the latter is to “remove con- • Colin Carrie, Conservative (Os- the repatriation of 300 physicians cerns about potential legal liability and hawa) over 4 years other sanctions” when health profes- • Ruby Dhalla, Liberal (Brampton- • $5 million over 3 years to “develop sionals tell patients about harm, says Springdale) recruitment and retention strategies Brent Windwick, chair of the Institute’s • Gary Goodyear, Conservative for the nursing profession.” legal and regulatory affairs advisory (Cambridge) Other Conservative commitments committee. He warns that apology leg- • James Lunney, Conservative were extremely broad in nature. islation doesn’t remove the need for ef- (Nanaimo-Alberni) Harper’s platform promises to “continue fective and thorough training for health Dentist, Christian missionary and to take creative measures to tackle major professionals about how to tell patients Conservative Harold Albrecht (Kitch- lung, heart and neurological diseases.” about adverse events, but it will “re- ener-Conestoga) was the only other The new government also vows to end move a significant source of hesitation” health professional elected to Parliament. discriminatory life insurance practices about speaking to patients who’ve suf- But several other Members of Par- and crackdown on tobacco advertising fered harm. liament do have at least a measure of in print and electronic media reached by British Columbia was the first experience in dealing with health is- children. — Wayne Kondro, CMAJ province to pass an apology act, in sues. Re-elected were: Conservative 2006, with Manitoba and Saskatchewan Diane Finley (Haldimand-Norfolk), DOI:10.1503/cmaj.081688 following suit in 2007.