Liberal Party of Canada Heart and Stroke Foundation General Position of the Liberal Party of Canada on Health and Health Care For Liberals, as for most Canadians, universal access to quality, timely care regardless of your ability to pay, and regardless of which province you live in, is part of what defines Canada. It is embedded in Canadian values, and in the Liberal record. Under Liberal leadership, the federal government will return to its long-established role as a strong partner in health and healthcare. Our election platform provides a significant amount of direct support to Canadian families facing health challenges with the following new initiatives: •
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Family Care Plan: A $1,350 Family Care Tax Benefit to help low- and middle-income families with the cost of caregiving, and the Family Care EI benefit to let you take time off work to care for a loved one at home. Addressing the gaps in coverage of prescription drugs, and the high costs of drugs in general. Introducing a Canadian Brain Health Strategy to help families cope with the crushing pressures of dementia, a Liberal government will commit $100 million over its first two years for research into treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, including funding for awareness, prevention, and income security issues. Collaborating with provinces and health professionals on quality and innovation. Investing in health promotion, sport and a National Food Policy. Implementing new measures to improve rural healthcare. While some 20% of Canadians live in rural areas, only 10% of doctors practice there. A Liberal government will invest an additional $40 million over two years to improve rural health services in cooperation with provinces, territories, municipalities and medical professionals.
With the federal-provincial-territorial Health Accord expiring in 2014, a new funding arrangement must be a central priority for the next federal government. At this pivotal moment, a great deal is at stake for Canadians, but the Harper government has demonstrated little interest. In contrast, a Liberal government will be at the table for Canadians. We will come equipped with a collaborative approach and the objectives that drive our health and healthcare platform: relieving pressures on today’s Canadian families, improving health outcomes, improving quality in the healthcare system, and containing long term costs. A Liberal government will also bring a strong commitment to maintain the growth of health transfers at 6% beyond 2014, providing billions in new funding. Two specific areas will also be priorities for a Liberal government: home care services and drug coverage. With more and more patient care taking place at home rather than in the hospital,
we’ll work with provinces and territories to ensure that Canadians in different parts of the country don’t face significant variations in drug coverage, and home care services.
Q1) By including diagnostic imaging tests, such as MRIs and ultrasound scans in a world leading chronic disease study (known as the Tomorrow Project) which is currently being funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer across Canada, we will be able to better understand the factors that influence heart disease and stroke over the course of a life time. This understanding will ultimately lead to better prevention and cures. If elected, will your Party commit to including diagnostic imaging, such as MRIs and ultrasound scans in the Tomorrow Project to better understand heart disease and stroke? As described above, a Liberal government would make a very strong commitment to health and health care. Part of this commitment will involve new funding for research, including for projects such as the one you identify, in consultation with the provinces and territories. In the interim, we will foster health and biosciences research under our Champion Sectors strategy and our Brain Health Strategy. As the country’s financial situation improves, we will build on the legacy of previous Liberal governments and increase investments in science, technology and basic research. Q2) In 2008, the HSF implemented a national, bilingual public awareness campaign known as The Heart Truth. This campaign aims to make Canadian women aware that heart disease and stroke is their leading cause of death and to encourage them to become more aware of, and engaged in their heart health. Currently, only 23% of Canadian women are aware that heart disease and stroke is their most serious health concern and often they don’t know what to do to prevent it. The first three years of the campaign were a success. However, the campaign needs additional funds in order to effectively reach high risk populations, including women from a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and aboriginal women. To expand the campaign and better reach these communities, where the risk is highest, we are asking the next federal government to support the final phase of the Heart Truth campaign. If elected, will your party help reach out to women across the country and commit $3 million to support the Heart Truth campaign? Some of the most effective steps to improve the health of Canadians will take place far away from any hospital or doctor’s office. And the results could save billions in healthcare costs. Public information campaigns, such as the Heart Truth Campaign, offer examples of such proactive steps.
Since 1979, obesity rates have tripled in Canada among children and youth, with obese children and adolescents increasingly becoming obese adults. The estimated direct and indirect cost of treating obesity is $4.3 billion annually. It is just one problem that can be dramatically reduced through healthier eating and exercise. That’s why a Liberal government will implement a new Canadian Health Promotion Strategy. We will support sport and active living and improve education and promotion of healthy foods. We will work with the Council of Ministers for Education in Canada towards setting national targets for physical activity in primary and secondary schools. Q3) An Automated External Defibrillator, also known as a defibrillator, is a safe, easy to use computerized device that can be used by the lay public. If applied quickly these machines can increase the chance of survival when a person's heart stops beating. Defibrillators have been used effectively in many public settings. This is critical, given that for every one minute delay in their use, the survival rate of a cardiac arrest victim decreases by 7-10%. Defibrillation, when used with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), can increase the chance of cardiac arrest survival by up to 75%. About 45,000 Canadians experience cardiac arrests every year. Less than 5% of those who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive. If elected, will your Party commit to supporting the placement of defibrillators and CPR training in communities, including in recreation centres, across Canada? Liberals are committed to working with the provinces and territories on practical and costeffective steps that improve the health outcomes of Canadians. Strategically placing defibrillators in public areas is a measure that has already saved many lives, and we would be open to consultations on this matter for federal buildings. Q4) Trans fats are unnecessary. These fats have no nutritional benefits whatsoever, only health risks - causing thousands of cardiac deaths in Canada annually. Despite reductions over the last several years, Health Canada estimates that 25% of the food supply is still riddled with trans fats. Sodium levels in Canada are also too high. It has been estimated that in Canada excess sodium consumption is responsible for one million cases of high blood pressure – a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. On average, adult Canadians consume around 3,400 mg of sodium per day. This is significantly above the recommended Tolerable Upper Intake Level of 2,300 mg per day. If elected, will your Party commit to taking action to reduce sodium and trans fat levels in the Canadian food supply? At the heart of the Liberal commitment to a safer, healthier country is Canada’s first National Food Policy, a comprehensive set of measures designed to fulfill the simple, yet powerful goal
of putting more healthy Canadian food on Canadian plates. Measures will include strong new regulatory standards on transfats and salt.