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André Picard

André Picard

The Globe and Mail

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Drug decriminalization is not to blame for all of our social woes

Decriminalization is taking a beating in the court of public opinion. Oregon has rolled back it’s high-profile initiative and recriminalized drug...

tuesday 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The Canada Health Act is 40. Does it need updating, or do we need a fresh start?

On April 17, 1984, the Canada Health Act received royal assent. The story published the next day in The Globe and Mail was underwhelming – a couple...

12.04.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Schools shouldn’t be places where kids go hungry

The federal Liberals have, once again, promised a national school food program. After identical promises in 2019 and 2021, this time around,...

08.04.2024 6

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

A timely reminder that the courts need to keep their noses out of individuals’ medical decisions

The doctor-patient relationship is sacrosanct, and having the courts second-guess the clinical judgment of physicians and nurse practitioners is...

02.04.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Are we too fearful of cancer?

With both the Princess of Wales and King Charles undergoing treatment for cancer, one of the world’s deadliest diseases is back in the headlines in...

26.03.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Diversion of safer supply drugs is a trivial issue distracting us from the real challenge: Toxic drug deaths

On March 7, Corporal Jennifer Cooper, the media relations officer at the RCMP detachment in Prince George, B.C., issued a press release about a pair...

19.03.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

It is not wrong to memorialize a teen who died by suicide in a high school yearbook

Carson Hoyt died by suicide on June 13, 2021, at age 15. His parents asked that their late son be mentioned in Hampton High School’s yearbook for...

12.03.2024 7

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The proposed new pharmacare program is yet another pilot project with an uncertain future

Canada is “a country of perpetual pilot projects,” former health minister Monique Bégin once famously said. Despite all the hype surrounding the...

05.03.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The return of measles is cause for concern, not disdain

A dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is displayed at the Neighborcare Health clinics at Vashon Island High School in Vashon Island, Wash.,...

27.02.2024 8

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Why is Quebec the only province to give impaired drivers such a long leash?

Earlier this month, Élizabeth Rivera and Antoine Bittar, a Quebec couple whose daughter died in a drunk-driving crash, testified at a legislative...

20.02.2024 9

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

To use Joe Biden’s age as an insult is simply ageism in disguise

12.02.2024 4

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The dithering on MAID reveals the ingrained cowardice in Canadian politics

Senators Pamela Wallin, left, Stan Kutcher, and Marie-Francoise Megie attend a press conference to call on the government to fulfill its obligation...

05.02.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The end of cervical cancer? We have the tools

A cervix self-screening kit is a part of the first self-screening cervical cancer plan in Canada, in Vancouver on Jan. 9. ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian...

30.01.2024 30

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

To fix Canada’s crumbling health care system, we need better tools than duct tape

There’s a new symbol for what ails Canada’s collapsing health care system: The duct-tape ribbon. Dr. David Keegan, a professor of family medicine...

23.01.2024 8

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Florida’s plan to import drugs from Canada is a non-starter

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event the District Venue on Jan. 14 in Ankeny, Iowa. Kevin...

16.01.2024 7

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

ER overcrowding won’t be solved by telling sick people to stay home

On the eve of New Year’s Eve, Quebec’s Ministry of Health issued a press release urging the public to “respect good practices” and avoid going...

09.01.2024 8

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

What Paris can teach us about taking back public space from cars

Bikers ride on a bicycle path at Rivoli street, in Paris, on Feb. 23, 2023. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images In 2020, Rue de Rivoli, in the heart of...

02.01.2024 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The existential questions raised by national dental and pharmacare plans

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), which could eventually provide dental insurance to at least nine million Canadians, is slowly being implemented....

14.12.2023 2

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Life expectancy is falling in Canada. It’s not all COVID’s fault

Life expectancy is down in Canada for the third year in a row, according to Statistics Canada. A child born today in Canada can expect to live to 81.3...

05.12.2023 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Banning right turns on red would be a step forward for pedestrian safety

Cars wait at an intersection in Deux-Montagnes, Que., with a sign prohibiting right turns at a red light, on Nov. 10. Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press ...

28.11.2023 3

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Access to oxygen therapy shouldn’t be this complicated

Breathing is something most people take for granted. But for people with lung disease, it can be a constant worry, especially if they need a little...

21.11.2023 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Is Danielle Smith’s overhaul of Alberta health care restructuring or revenge?

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is shown during a news conference in Edmonton on Nov. 8. JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press Drawn and quartered was a...

14.11.2023 20

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Magic mushrooms are following a path well-trodden by cannabis

Police raid the Fun Guyz magic mushroom store for the third time on Aug. 3 in Montreal. The shop specializes in hallucinogenic mushrooms which are...

07.11.2023 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Paying more attention to the health and social benefits of libraries is overdue

Toronto’s public library system is one of the world’s busiest, with 100 branches, including the landmark Reference Library in Yorkville...

31.10.2023 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Lessons from a city that solved the family doctor shortage

Psst: Don’t tell anyone, but there’s a city in Canada where everyone who wants a family doctor has one. There are also several clinics accepting...

23.10.2023 6

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Nurses are fleeing the health system to work for private staffing agencies. Who can blame them?

As the nursing shortage grows worse in Canada’s hospitals and long-term care homes, provinces and territories are paying hundreds of millions of...

19.10.2023 7

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Other premiers take note: The Manitoba election was won with bold and detailed health care promises

Manitoba Premier-elect Wab Kinew holds a press conference in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim Aaron Vincent...

10.10.2023 20

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

AI holds much promise in medicine, beginning with easing doctors’ paperwork

AI technology can allow patients to feel more seen and heard during doctor visits. It also frees up valuable time for doctors who currently spend, on...

03.10.2023 7

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

Is Canada ready to deal with the next pandemic?

In this, the era of perpetual crises, Canada needs an institution to oversee the country’s health security. That is one of the key messages in a new...

26.09.2023 8

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

‘My body, my choice’ – except when it isn’t

Gender-affirming surgery, vaccine refusal, medical assistance in dying, abortion, involuntary treatment for drug users. All these hot-button...

18.09.2023 3

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

The horrific food poisoning of Calgary children underscores the unravelling of public health in Canada

The outbreak of E. coli that is unfolding in a small number of Calgary daycare centres is absolutely horrific. As of Sunday, there had been 190 cases...

11.09.2023 10

The Globe and Mail

André Picard

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