Commentaries, Aging Population & Its Potential Impact

Our expert advisors have written opinion pieces on important health policy topics, published in leading media outlets across the country. We are making these articles available to everyone, free of charge, with a Creative Commons license, so that you may use them in your publication or on your website. See also our Commentaries in French.

Evidence is important to us, and we are committed to getting the evidence right — even when it can be interpreted in a number of ways. If you feel we have not represented the evidence accurately or fairly in these opinion pieces, please let us know. Browse our Commentaries by category, below, or view them all here.

The real costs of informal caregiving in Canada The real costs of informal caregiving in Canada
By Nicole F. Bernier

The phenomenon is not exactly marginal: according to a recently released government report, one in every three workers in Canada is assisting a chronically disabled person — many of them seniors — with transportation, household maintenance or day-to-day tasks.

Pros and cons of an expanded Canada Pension Plan Pros and cons of an expanded Canada Pension Plan
By Robert Brown

The Conservative government has announced it would like to have a dialogue with Canadians about a potential expansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). While this, in itself, is a purely political action — since it commits the government to nothing — it is worth looking at what the possible outcomes might be.

Canada has mixed wait time results in healthcare Canada has mixed wait time results in healthcare
By Robert McMurtry

Wait times have long been a source of concern for Canadians, and in some jurisdictions, remain a significant problem. Recently the Canadian Institutes of Health Information (CIHI) released their report for 2015. There is both encouraging news and areas in need of attention.

MCMURTRY_Putting-healthcare-on-the-federal-election-agenda Putting healthcare on the federal election agenda
By Robert McMurtry

A federal election could be called any time in the next few months, judging by the media coverage and the ramping up of political activity. Many issues have been crowding into the media headlines in anticipation of the election — but with a notable absence of any consideration of healthcare by our political parties.

Dying well Dying badly in Canada
By Harvey Chochinov

A few days after the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the prohibition against medical aid in dying, I received a note from a wonderful colleague of mine saying that her closest friend’s 53 year old son had just died of spinal cancer.

The Canadian baby boom years are different from the U.S. The Canadian baby boom years are different
from the U.S.

By Robert Brown

As a retired demographer, I do indeed tire of the endless articles in the Canadian press that either just quote U.S.-based stories about the baby boom or make the incorrect assumption that the Canadian baby boom mirrored that south of the border.

Ontario spends more than $11 billion a year on prescription Why an income-based drug plan is harmful to Ontario seniors
By Steve Morgan

Ontario spends $11-billion per year on prescription drugs. Nearly half of this is spent on medicines used by senior citizens, a group that receives public subsidies for nearly all of their prescription drug costs in Ontario.

Is it Time to Allow Assisted Suicide? Is it time to allow assisted suicide?
By Harvey Max Chochinov and Balfour M. Mount

This week, the Supreme Court of Canada has been hearing an appeal by the BC Civil Liberties Association that could grant terminally ill Canadians the right to assisted suicide. With this impending ruling and the passing of Bill 52 in Quebec (Medical Aid in Dying) and rumblings from parliament of another private members bill on assisted suicide, Canada is at a crossroads.

Canada relying too heavily on unpaid caregivers — at a cost Canada relying too heavily on unpaid caregivers — at a cost
By Nicole F. Bernier

The unexpected and largely unreported good news about homecare in this country is that the vast majority of Canadians who receive home help or homecare for a chronic health condition are getting all the services they need.

Why we need to rethink the nursing home model Why we need to rethink the nursing home model
By Verena Menec

How many nursing beds are needed in Canada to care for frail, elderly people with high care needs? That’s a question that policy makers across the country are grappling with, given the aging population and especially the rapidly growing number of very elderly people over the age of 85.


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