12-Month Lobbying Summary - In-house Organization

Subject Matters

• Aboriginal Affairs
• Budget
• Climate
• Constitutional Issues
• Consumer Issues
• Education
• Employment and Training
• Environment
• Federal-Provincial Relations
• Foreign Affairs
• Government Procurement
• Health
• Immigration
• Industry
• Infrastructure
• International Development
• International Relations
• Justice and Law Enforcement
• Pensions
• Privacy and Access to Information
• Regional Development
• Research and Development
• Science and Technology
• Small Business
• Taxation and Finance

Subject Matter Details

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• BILL S-251: support the passage of Bill S-251, An Act to repeal section 43 of the Criminal Code (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's call to action number 6).
• HARMFUL ONLINE CONTENT: Advocate for new legislative measures to address the escalation of online harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence targeting physicians, other health workers, and anyone seeking health care treatment, including measures to strengthen the Criminal Code of Canada and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution, Policies or Program

• INDIGENOUS HEALTH: Improvement to the health and health care services provided to Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Policies or Program

• ANTI-RACISM PLAN: implementation of a nation-wide anti-racism plan, recognizing that racism is a structural determinant of health and drives health and social inequities.
• BLOOD BAN: adjust eligibility criteria for blood donors so that these criteria are behaviour-based and do not consider sexual orientation.
• CANADA HEALTH TRANSFER: Increased federal funding for health care to the provinces and territories to ensure the sustainability of the health care system.
• CANADIAN PHARMACEUTICAL STRATEGY: A national strategy to ensure all Canadian have access to safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs regardless of employment status or geography.
• COVID-19 VACCINATION STRATEGY: Advocacy on vaccine supply, distribution, ensuring involvement of primary care in vaccination strategy, public education, and federal role in the development and administration of vaccine passport and domestic certification system and Vaccine Injury Support Program.
• DIGITAL HEALTH: Increased investment in providing digital, virtual and telehealth services.
• ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH ISSUES: Supporting a national climate change plan that addresses the health impacts of climate change.
• EQUITABLE GLOBAL ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINE: advocacy on equitable global distribution and access to COVID-19 vaccine.
• FEDERAL HEALTH FUNDING FOR A NEW PRIMARY CARE ACCESS FUND: Recommendation for a funding commitment to ensure that every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary care team.
• FEDERAL HEALTH FUNDING TO EXPAND PUBLIC HEALTH CAPACITY: Recommendation for a $1 billion investment to expand Canada’s public health capacity.
• FEDERAL HEALTH FUNDING, NATIONAL COLLABORATION, AND OTHER RESOURCES TO BOOST CAPACITY OF HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL SUPPORTS: Ensure a coordinated and consistent national response by the federal government to COVID-19 across all jurisdictions and regions by delivering targeted and substantial emergency funding and coordination of other resources to ensure health systems have capacity to respond.
• FEDERAL HEALTH PROGRAMS AND FEDERAL FORMS: Improved remuneration for the completion of federal health forms by physicians.
• FEDERAL LEADERSHIP ON CANADA'S COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE STRATEGY: Take strong measures across the country, including marshalling national resources where needed, applying restrictive public health measures, investing in safe and sustained return to in-person school, and prioritizing national collaboration to save the most lives.
• FPT health relationships: Engage the Minister on CMA’s recommendation to increase dialogue between provinces to come to an agreement and identify reform priorities as a remedy to the healthcare crisis
• HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCES: advocating for federal leadership, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, to address the health human resources crisis, with new federal measures including i) creating retention incentives and addressing administrative burden to improve access to healthcare in areas of need and improve the well-being of health care providers, ii) ensuring that every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary health team; iii) increasing access to virtual primary care for all people living in Canada; iv) increasing the number of doctors and nurses v) developing an action plan to get internationally trained doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners to work; vi) developing a strategy to support the mental health of health care workers and their families, and vii) improving workforce data collection across health systems.
• HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES (ELECTRONIC MEDICAL AND HEALTH RECORDS: Investment and needed regulations to facilitate the development of EHRs and EMRs in Canada
• HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE: A targeted health infrastructure fund as part of the federal government’s long-term plan for public infrastructure.
• HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION: Increased investments in health and social-determinants-of-health related programs.
• HEALTH WORFORCE STUDY: advocate for a follow up by the Senate of the Health Workforce Study undertaken by the House of Commons.
• HEALTH WORKFORCE PLANNING: Invest in pan-Canadian health workforce planning, including data infrastructure, and a physician supply needs-based planning tool, to ensure Canadians have timely access to health providers while supporting the well-being of health workers.
• Healthcare net-zero goal: Introducing CMA’s net-zero goal and discuss potential policy options for federal action.
• LONG-TERM CARE & SENIORS: Support older persons in Canada to age with dignity, including federal investment in national standards for long-term care and enhanced home and community care.
• MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING: Advancing the medical profession’s perspectives on medical assistance in dying.
• MENTAL HEALTH TRANSFER AND OTHER SUPPORTS: engage the federal government on the creation of a Canada Mental Health transfer and improving access to mental health services.
• NATIONAL PHYSICIANS DAY: CMA is advocating for a National Physicians Day in Canada.
• NATIONAL TOBACCO CONTROL PROGRAMS: Increased restriction on the sale and advertising of tobacco and vaping products in Canada
• OLDER ADULTS CARE BENEFIT: New older adults care benefit program to deliver funding to older adults and caregivers to cover out of pocket health care costs.
• PALLIATIVE AND END OF LIFE CARE: Improved national standards and investment in the area of palliative and end of life care.
• PAN-CANADIAN LICENSURE FOR REGULATED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: Seeking federal government support, including studies and investment, to explore barriers and enablers for pan-Canadian licensure, including enabling legislation in the provinces and territories
• PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION AND ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT ACT (PIPEDA) PRIVACY PROTECTION OF HEALTH INFORMATION AND THE REGULATORY REVIEW: Improvement to privacy legislation to protect the privacy of health information.
• PHYSICIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN CAUCUS: advocate for the formation of a Physician Parliamentarian Caucus as a means of examining deficiencies in the health care system and proposing solutions.
• RECONCILIATION WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN CANADA: Implementation of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including addressing the ongoing structural inequities that marginalize Indigenous Peoples, advancing the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in societal systems and sectors, including health systems, advancing compensation for Indigenous children and committing to collaborative and respectful relationships with Indigenous patients and communities.
• SAFE AND UNIMPEDED ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FACILITIES: Ensuring safe and unimpeded access to health care facilities for health care workers and patients.
• SAFETY OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND PATIENTS: Advocate for the implementation, by all applicable jurisdictions, of measures to protect health care workers and anyone seeking health care treatment from violence, threats, intimidation, and harassment.
• SICK NOTES: Advocacy on discontinuing the requirement that employees present sick notes to their employers.
• SUPPORT FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS: Advocacy on paid sick leave for essential workers to support Canada's pandemic response.
• Seeking federal government support, including studies and investment, to explore barriers and enablers to team-based health care.
• THE ACQUISITION AND THE DOMESTIC SUPPLY OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS: Ensuring the federal government take additional measures ensure adequate supply, proper distribution, and appropriate usage of personal protective equipment throughout health systems.
• THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICE FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS: Establish an emergency National Mental Health Support Services hotline for all health care providers during the pandemic, to ensure health care providers have the assistance they need to deal with an increasing patient load.

Policies or Program, Regulation

• CONCENTRATION OF NICOTINE IN VAPING PRODUCTS REGULATIONS: support for regulations to establish a maximum nicotine concentrations for vaping products.
• DISABILITY TAX CREDIT PROMOTERS RESTRICTIONS REGULATIONS: Ensuring that physicians are not captured in the definition of "promoters" in the regulations.
• MEDICINAL MARIJUANA REGULATIONS: Strengthening regulations related to the prescribing of medical marijuana.

• Subject matter details in previous versions

  Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

  • BILL S-223 AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL CODE AND THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE PROTECTION ACT (TRAFFICKING OF HUMAN ORGANS), with respect to informed consent as a fundamental requirement for organ donation and the prevention of the coercive collection and transplantation of organs domestically and internationally.
  • Bill C-5 AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL CODE AND THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT, with respect to repealing certain mandatory minimum penalties, allowing for a greater use of conditional sentences and establishing diversion measures for simple drug possession offences.

  Policies or Program

  • COVID-19 VACCINATION STRATEGY: Advocacy on vaccine supply, distribution, ensuring involvement of primary care in vaccination strategy, public education, and federal role in the development of vaccine passport and domestic certification system.
  • HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCES: advocating for federal leadership, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, to address the health human resources crisis, with new federal measures including i) creating retention incentives and addressing administrative burden to improve access to healthcare in areas of need and improve the well-being of health care providers, ii) ensuring that every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary health team; iii) increasing access to virtual primary care for all people living in Canada; iv) increasing the number of doctors and nurses v) developing an action plan to get internationally trained doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners to work; vi) developing a strategy to support the mental health of health care workers, and vii) improving workforce data collection across health systems.
  • HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION: Increased investment and improved regulations to protect and enhance the health of Canadians.
  • MENTAL HEALTH TRANSFER: engage the federal government on the creation of a Canada Mental Health transfer.
  • PAN-CANADIAN LICENSURE FOR REGULATED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: Seeking federal government support, including studies and investment, to explore barriers and enablers for pan-Canadian licensure.