PolitiKit

Connected Care for Canadians Act (BILL S-5) : Urging federal policy makers to adopt this legislation quickly and to ensure that it is supported by a robust set of regulations.

Efforts to reducing administrative burden for family physicians by addressing federal health forms.

Funds should be directed to supporting family medicine, as part of the Federal government's Health Infrastructure Fund announced in Budget 2025.

Fulfill key investments to support family doctors, promised by the Liberal Party during the 2025 Federal elections. This includes initiatives to provide admin burden relief, set up a new FP practice fund, and create new residency seats.

Federal policies and programs supporting the expansion and diversification of international markets for Canadian forest products and strengthening Canada’s global trade position.

Federal trade policies and international trade measures affecting Canadian forest products, including market access, trade barriers, and the competitiveness of Canadian exports.

Federal Budget: Allocate funding for the Canada Disability Benefit, the Employment Insurance Sickness Benefit; health research; access to treatment and care; and other budgetary policy as it relates to MS.

Disability Tax Credit with respect to making it refundable and ensuring eligibility for Canadians with episodic disabilities

Discussions on the implications of Bill C-265 An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (List of Therapeutic Products Pre-approved for Special Access) for patients’ access to drugs for rare diseases.

Federally-funded public drug plans, with respect to reimbursement for rare disease medicines for federal plan beneficiaries.

Enhancement to Canada's regulatory and funding environment for new rare disease medicines, including Health Canada authorizations of medicines and framework for clinical trials, health technology assessment processes, reimbursement negotiations and funding decisions to improve access for rare disease patients

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada policies related to research and development for treatments for rare disorders.

Regulatory amendments and/or guidelines related to the Food and Drugs Act Regulations and Health Canada to implement an orphan drug regulatory framework.

Arranging meetings and outreach with public office holders to discuss amendments and/or introduction of health care legislation.

INTEGRATED HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCES Advocate for an Integrated Health Human Resources Strategy, including creating retention incentives and addressing administrative burden for health care professionals, increasing the number of doctors and nurses and ensuring that every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary health team, increasing access to virtual care, creating an action plan to get internationally trained health care professionals to work, improving workforce data collection across health systems and investing in a supply needs-based planning tool, and facilitating team-based health care.

MEDICAL MIS/DISINFORMATION: Provide CMA’s perspective on the impacts of medical misinformation and disinformation, including on public trust in science, medicine, and public health experts.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING: Advancing the medical profession’s perspectives on medical assistance in dying.

ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN: Advocate for measures to alleviate the administrative burden on physicians and support their professional wellbeing, including investment to facilitate the development of EHRs and EMRs in Canada, improved remuneration for the completion of federal health forms, the development of a Federal Disability Benefit, ensuring that physicians are not captured in the definition of "promoters" in the Disability Tax Credit Promoters Restrictions Regulations, providing clarity and guidance on federal forms, and advocacy on discontinuing the requirement that employees present sick notes to their employers.

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.

HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION: Increased investments in health and social-determinants-of-health related programs, including measures to address the opioid crisis, mental health and addictions, and the regulation of natural health products.

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.

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.

PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL SAFETY: Advocate to address the challenges and opportunities for physical, psychological and cultural safety within Canada’s health system, including the implementation of a nation-wide anti-racism plan, the creation of a Canada Mental Health transfer, improving access to mental health services to physicians and their families, gender-affirming care, creating an emergency National Mental Health Support Services hotline for all health care providers, the creation of a National Physicians Day in Canada, ensuring safe and unimpeded access to health care facilities for health care workers and patients.

NET ZERO: Advocate for sustainable health systems in Canada, including reaching net-zero emissions by 2050; advocate for the establishment of a national climate and health secretariat within the federal government to develop a pan-Canadian approach to addressing the impacts of climate change and health; and advocate for a targeted health infrastructure fund as part of the federal government’s long-term plan for public infrastructure.

DIGITAL HEALTH: Increased investment in providing digital, virtual and telehealth services.

TECHNOLOGY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: provide CMA’s perspective on the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on the health care sector and the means through which advancements can be foreseen and managed.

BUDGET: Provide CMA’s perspective on the Government of Canada’s budget, particularly as it relates to modernizing Canada’s health care system by enhancing efficiency, driving innovation, and promoting equitable access to care.

INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND RECONCILIATION WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: 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, and committing to collaborative and respectful relationships with Indigenous patients and communities. The CMA is also advocating to increase trust between Indigenous patients and health care providers, and to eliminate racism, inequitable access to care, and the ongoing harm caused to those within Canada’s health care system.

Access to medication - expanding the range of medications covered by various insurance plans, and the number of Canadians able to access and afford medication. This includes a national pharmaceutical strategy.