Speak Out on Health

The election is over and the Conservatives are in again. What now? Remember this is the government that is going to court with the hope of shutting down Insite, the supervised injection site. This is the government that is believes harm reduction isn’t a health strategy. This is the government that has so riled and hassled scientists that they’ve written a letter decrying the government’s effort to twist and distort scientific evidence for political ideology. Where do we go from here?

 Now that the rush of election night has eased, I think we should start talking about what we want our members of parliament to address. My mind pops back to my childhood reading of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s the scene where a circle of squirrels is tapping nuts to hear which ones are good or bad. Good ones can be used for candy making, bad ones can’t. So… now it’s time to tap the nuts (metaphorically speaking of course). We need to talk to the successful candidates who now lead our ridings and our country. Our conversations will inevitably help us hear which ones will make the best candy for our country.

What needs to be addressed? The continuum of health care, for one. This includes timely access to unbiased services (and enough doctors to provide them), comprehensive care for people living with HIV, mental health services, harm reduction options and treatment for substance use. Let’s not forget comprehensive sex education for our children.  Then there are the “non-medical” needs that play in: safe, affordable housing (as it influences health care in a major way), economic security…. And more.

There’s always more. But we have to start somewhere. So let’s talk. Talk to each other and learn our common concerns, talk our politicians and voice them. There’s no time like the present. 

- Janet

This was posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under News . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.

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