Universal health care

• The thinly populated territories and the small province of Prince Edward Island are the only jurisdictions that provide health coverage to residents who require emergency health services while travelling at the same rate as if the emergency had occurred while at home – as required by the Canada Health Act.
• More populous provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta and Québec provide only minimal coverage for their residents who have emergencies outside of Canada.
• Likewise, some governments threaten to cut off health coverage for tax-paying Canadians if they are out of the province for more than six months, denying them access to the universal health care promised to all Canadians.
• The Canadian Snowbird Association is an over 115,000 member, non-profit, non-partisan organization representing Canadian travellers from across the country.

• STOCKHOLM, Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year on World Psoriasis Day, October 29th, the international psoriatic disease community unites to raise awareness and fight for progress.
• The theme of 2023, "Access for All," underscores the vital need for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to ensure that everyone, regardless of their location, income, or health condition, can access essential health services.
• This global initiative brings the entire community together to share knowledge and insights about psoriatic disease and UHC, taking a significant step towards a healthier world.
• See Pierre from Rwanda tell his story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwGluozx1AU
  For further information about World Psoriasis Day 2023 and how you can participate: psoriasisday.org .

• The Government of Saskatchewan announced its revised framework for consultation with First Nation and Métis communities in August 2023.
• This framework sets out the provincial government’s latest approach to fulfilling its constitutional duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous Peoples.
• Some Canadian jurisdictions are making efforts to break away from colonial mentalities by developing policies in true partnership with Indigenous Peoples.

Sticking with the status quo

• Timelines have been tweaked, a new chart has been added and a central role for the Ministry of Government Relations has been clarified.
• Yet stepping back from the minutiae, the provincial government’s approach to Indigenous consultation largely preserves the status quo — a standard that is out-of-step with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and broader trends in Canadian and international law.
• It also fails to acknowledge or make any concessions to the distinct perspectives of the Indigenous Peoples of this land.

Leaving it up to the courts

• But the framework purports to serve a more ambitious goal: facilitating “mutually beneficial relationships” with Indigenous Peoples.
• Case law and legal precedent reflect specific disputes based on the specific facts that give rise to them.
• When it comes to the duty to consult and accommodate, the courts define the minimum legal standards within which other branches of government must operate.
• Courts cannot and will not design the laws and policies that are required for a positive, just political relationship.
• It is up to the federal and provincial governments to work with Indigenous Peoples to build a harmonious relationship or miyo-wîcêhtowin.

Implementing UNDRIP

• The case law it relies on shifts and the policy itself can be challenged before the courts.
• For example, the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan is actively challenging the policy’s restriction against consultation on Aboriginal title claims.
• Saskatchewan can follow B.C.’s lead by negotiating nation-specific, consent-based processes in line with UNDRIP.
• UNDRIP reflects key principles of customary international law, which are directly binding in Canadian courts and therefore highly relevant to Canadian policymaking.

• GENEVE, CH, May 24, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Access Accelerated, a pioneering collective of leading biopharmaceutical and life science companies dedicated to confronting the growing global noncommunicable disease (NCD) crisis, announced the release of a six-year report: Key Lessons in Advancing Access to NCD Care: Collaboration, Connectivity, Community.
• This report gives us the opportunity to critically evaluate our past and use key learnings for the future.
• Much work lies ahead, but this report serves as a valuable foundation for effectively addressing NCDs."
• According to Dr. Juan Pablo Uribe, World Bank's Global Director for Health, Nutrition & Population and Director of the Global Financing Facility, the report demonstrates the importance of rigorous monitoring and reporting.