Gender and Health Lesson 7 Sex refers to biology people who are born with (XX; XY XXY; XXX) Male, Female Gender= socially constructed roles assigned at birth Much more diverse he/him, she/her, they/them. Sex & Health - Traditionally it was believed that men and women react to medication the same way, Most research studies are done on men. Even animal studies are mainly done on women A key turning point occurred in Jan 2013, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new dosage recommendations for commonly used sleeping medications. Gender Bias - Favouritism or prejudice for or against a particular gender Many objective and subjective screening tests are done for “one size fits all” Women tend to utilize healthcare services more than men Women have higher rates of depression but men have higher rates of suicide Gender Inequality Versus inequity Inequality - Sex-based differences Women having a heart attack presenting with upper back pain/ fatigue versus “elephant on my chest” Male symptoms are the standard to treat Inequity (unfair) - Woman gets sent home with no heart attack work-up because they don’t assess women’s symptoms WHO Conceptual Framework - Distribution The distribution of socioeconomic and political context affects the power of socioeconomic position which affects Gender. Behaviours and biological factors which are intermediary determinants of social health include sex. Gender & Income Related to Women & Children - In 2019, the child poverty rate was 5.8% for those living in couple families compared to 26.2% for those in female lone-parent families The Wage gap declining but still significant Wage Gap is declining But is still significant Men with hourly wage on average make $31.05 and women on average $26.92 Canada ranks 23rd out of 27 with an 18.5% gap between men and women in OECD nations Closing the Gender-Based Gap 1. 2. 3. 4. Elimination of gender-based discrimination is needed through policy creation and enforcement Pay equity Reduce extreme forms of poverty and social exclusion National affordable childcare programs Improve access to employment insurance 5. Policies that make it easier for workplaces to achieve collective agreement Gender & Work GENDER-BASED INEQUITY: Non- Non-racialized women earn 69 cents for every dollar non racialized men earn RACE-BASED INEQUITY: racialized men earn 76 cents for every dollar non-racialized men earn - racialized women earn 85 cents for every dollar non-racialized women earn GENDER-BASED + RACE-BASED INEQUITY (intersectionality) racialized women earn 58 cents for every dollar non-racialized men earn Gender & Food Insecurity The higher the food insecurity women have, the more likely you have Mood or anxiety disorders, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, bowel Disorders, back Problems, Arthritis etc.. Women’s Health Movement Since 1970 a movement in Boston has occurred to allow women to take back their bodies from male-dominated healthcare systems, our bodies, our selves. Unicef sustainability goals - 17 sustainable Development Goals address women and health - Health & well-being for all (Goal 3) Gender equality (Goal 5) Reduction of inequality within & among countries (Goal 10) Gender, Health & Sustainable Development Goals - - Mainstreaming gender requires policies and practices Examples: Universal health coverage; monitors health inequities involving income, gender age race ethnicity, migratory status disability, and where people live There is a need to improve coverage of health services by removing barriers. Mainstreaming Gender Gender should be considered in all policies in practices including researchers who are women Female health scientists face large gender bias in access to federal research dollars The gender gap is the success rate of male and female scientists applying for federal grants under two separate funding vary. When hiring people based on foundation versus project, it was found that women were significantly more likely to project base to get higher rather than research-based Sexuality Gender Identity- internal awareness of gender Gender expression- social expression of gender Trans- incongruence with assigned gender Cis- non-trans Non Binary- does not identify exclusively with one gender Two-Spirit - Indigenous terms referring to having both a masculine and feminine spirit Gender Non-conforming- an expression of gender that transcends masculine and feminine stereotypes Gender dysphoria- discomfort with the discrepancy between gender identity and biological sex Gender Identity and Gender Expression - Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, Discrimination and harassment because of gender identity or gender expression is against the law Includes being treated with equal dignity and respect if your transgender, transsexual, or intersex person is seen to be different from their birth sex In 2012 this was added to the human rights code Current Transphobic Climate in North America 2021 has a record number of anti-trans legislation passed in the US targeting trans youth - Includes Athletics Criminalization of gender-affirming care for trans kids Texas- Recent directive to Child and Family protective services Quebec- Bill 2- amendment to province’s family law An Inclusive Approach to Care - Make it a Standard practice to ask all patients what name they would like to be called, what pronouns they use Refrain from making assumptions about a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity based on appearance Use gender-inclusive language when referring to: - Pronouns, names Significant to others/partners/ family members Body parts Medical terminology Recognize that patients may not disclose their gender identity or sexual orientation for a number of reasons - To prevent experiencing discrimination/ structural violence Avoid receiving poor-quality care Be intentional in promoting inclusive and effective communication - Don’t operate in a ‘don’t ask/ don’t tell’ capacity- normalize disclosure as a standard part of care Result Informational/ institutional forms of erasure to promote disclosure Create inclusive forms, documents, educational resources, policies practices and procedures. Intersectionality - Advancing gender equality in Canada isn't just about closing gaps between men and women Also intertwines with the critical race theory as some victims also simultaneously face racial and gender prejudice Intersectionality and Health - - A woman living in a high-income neighbourhood in Toronto is about four times more likely to have up-to-date screening than a recent immigrant of South Asian descent who is over 50 without a general practitioner The intersection of single mom’s are found in one area The intersection of single Mom + Low income + Housing Needs are all found in the same biographical area Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing Gender and location (Urban vs rural) - Gender and Age (youth and older adults). Intersection of Gender - 1.4 million healthcare workers are in Canada 23% are nursing staff immigrants, 90% are women Practical nursing and PSWs are more likely to be immigrants and people of colour PhD and management populations are less likely to be immigrant population Data is not collected on Canada-wide race-base data Systemic Barriers - Policymaking has a silo nature e.g Health, immigration, and education do not collaborate or talk together Immigrants fall through the gaps within these systems Power inequities in the HC system Differences in Social location of those who control resources Gender and health Media files Mainstreaming gender - helps policymakers integrate a gender perspective into their work When integrating gender into policies- how specific policies for men and women are specifically addressed Gender representation needs to be taken into consideration E.g Summary of Gender and Health Unit 10: Physical Environment & Geography - Physical environment and health are affected by downstream training and is an intermediary determinant of health Geography& Health are intrinsically linked - - Where we are born, live, study &work directly influences our health experiences: the air we breathe, the food we eat, the viruses we are exposed to & the health services we can access Air food, water, and environmental pollution exposure to vectors of disease - - Rural remote, isolated, northern, & urban geographies determine physical aspects of the environment & other SDoH such as access to healthcare food, education, employment & housing Geography involves how humans organize themselves and create “places” Displays the interrelations between land, space, territory and human experiences Average life experiences for women in BC are 84.0 and 79.9 for men In Nunavut, it is 73.4 years for women and 70.8 years for men The difference in life expectancy is due to the regions they live in and the healthcare services provided Preventable Mortality Rates: Urban Vs Rural Life - Numerous studies show associations between health & geography of urban vs rural life Death rates from treatable diseases are related to geographical remoteness with the rates being significantly higher for remote areas Geography: - Public policies create housing insecurity that intersect with racial discrimination & urbn ghettoization directed towards recent immigrants of colour Gentrification: urban areas deepen disadvantages for immigrant communities of colour and local geographies Policies R/T environmental protections & urban planning determine locations of local toxic waste, levels of air & water pollution etc.. Important determinants for those risks such as: Racism, colonialism & oppression, enable the location of toxic waste sites and landfills Geography as a determinant of health - Important for its impact on Indigenous people’s health De Leeuw- a geographical lens for understanding the health of Indigenous people Policymakers need to learn Indigenous cosmologies- the physical geography of the world is understood as intrinsic to human well-being Indigenous scholar Robin Wall Kimmerer: “[w]e make a grave error if we try to separate individual well-being from the health of the whole.” Climate Crisis - Changes in landscapes eg. erosions of the coastal area, floods, droughts, and wildfires make land unsuitable for human-wildlife Human's responsibility to live on Earth within boundaries that limit the destructive activities of humans Shifts in how health is conceptualized What causes Climate change? Fossil Fuels- Byproducts of gasoline/oil and natural ga of decayed plants and animals that release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat Consequenced by: Glaciers melting, water rising and extreme weather Climate Change and Health - Contributes to more frequent and severe humanitarian emergencies (Heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and tropical storms) - Research indicates that 3.6 billion people live in areas that are highly susceptible to climate change By 2030-2050, climate change is thought to cause an addition 250,000 deaths, due to health disease caused by it. Healthcare costs and Vulnerable areas - Direct damage costs to health excluding other sectors may reach to $2-4 billion dollars yearly by 2030 Areas with weak health infrastructure mainly in developing countries struggle to cope without assistance There is a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations Impact on Health and the Environment - Climate change affects health directly (heatwaves, storms) and indirectly (disease outbreaks, mental health issues). It undermines social determinants of health, i.e., livelihoods and access to healthcare. Vulnerable populations i.e., women, children, and minorities, are most affected Climate-Related Health Challenges Water and Foodborne Illnesses: - 2 billion people lack safe drinking water, and 600 million people suffer from foodborne illnesses annually Food and Nutrition Crisis: - Climate stressors heighten waterborne and foodborne disease risk Vector-Borne Diseases - Temperature and precipitation changes enhance the spread of diseases - without preventative actions, deaths may rise from 700,000 Understanding Climate-Sensitive Health Risks Case Study: Sarah a 38-year-old single mother in a coastal community, who works part-time in the fishing industry 1. Direct health impact: Directly affecting the health and well-being of someone 2. She endured an extreme heatwave last summer and her family suffered from heat-related illness 3. Indirect Health Impact: how the climate crisis affected something hels that - The prolonged heat wave strained local water resources, her son contracted a waterborne disease 4. Social Determinant of Health: Changing Ocean conditions threaten Sarah’s livelihood. Reduced access to nutritious food and healthcare 5. Vulnerable Populations: Sarah’s family represents a vulnerable position of women children, and minority groups who are at a heightened risk, Urgent Action and WHO responses - Urgent action is necessary to limit temperature rise to 1.5 C and prevent catastrophic health impacts WHO’s Response focuses on: (1) promoting emission reduction, 2) building resilient health systems (3) protecting health from climate change (4) raising awareness Collaboration and evidenced-based approaches are central to addressing these global challenges - The climate crisis is the Biggest Health Emergency Association Vs Causation- relationships vs Direct Association - Relationship between two random variables (statisticaly significant) without understanding the direction of the relationship - e.g: ice cream and crime Correlation - The measure of strength of the relationship between two variables (change of one based on the change of another - E.g: education and income Hazards to Health 1. Traditional Hazards - Associated with lack of development: drinking water, sanitation, plumbing, indoor cooking etc.. 2. Modern Hazards Associated with unsustainable development: - Water pollution, industry, intensive agriculture, urban air pollution, vehicular traffic, climate change, Ozone changes etc… - Ontario First Nations water advisory has been in effect for 25 years - The price of water vs the price of pop is significantly less, which promotes unhealthy drinking practices - 88 long-term drinking water advisories lifted since November 2015 - 61 long-term drinking water advisories are in effect Shoal Lake- An Indigenous Community’s transformational Fight For Clean water - The community achieved a significant milestone by opening its water treatment plant last year, ending a 20- year old water advisory - Their mission was driven by pursuing human rights, health, and securing a better future - Community meetings played a pivotal role in planning this transformation, which emphasizes the need to engage with bureaucrats Challenges and Persistence - Individuals experienced bacterial infection during the boil water advisory - Some resorted to driving over an hour to bathe their children in a hotel during the advisory - Even after the plant’s opening trust in the water supply remained challenged by community members Impact of Clean Water - Elders have noted a significant difference in both health and the community’s economic well-being since having access to clean water - Achievement allows residents to save money on using bottled water, and transportation to get said water - The money is going towards improving infrastructure to deliver water directly to homes and investing in house projects to encourage members to return and boost the local economy The following factors concerning the story of the Indigenous community’ fight for clean water: - Colonization Reconciliation Health Disparities Equity Economic Impact Empowerment Engaging with Bureaucrats (government organizations) Accessibility and geography Health and Economic Well Being Infrastructure A word About Plastic 51 trillion microplastic particles are already in the oceans Personal care or cosmetic products can contain as much plastic as the ocean packaging it come in Unknown health risks Lead and Health Inhalation of Lead Particles - Burning materials containing lead, (paint, gasoline, aviation fuel) Ingestion of Lead Contaminated Dust - Water (leaded pipes) - Food (lead-glazed or lead-soldered containers) - 20,000 Hamilton homes have toxic lead pipes carrying water to taps - It will take 40 years to fix them Grassy Narrows- Mercury-Care Home funding - Funding pact for mercury-poisoning care home spurs joy and bitter memories - federal government have reached an agreement for an on-reserve care facility, which will serve people in the community who are suffering from the effects of mercury poisoning Globalization - The current path of globalization must change—too few share in its benefits. Too many have no voice in it’s design and no influence on its course Globalization - Not a new phenomenon - Started with Europe's worldwide colonizing pursuits - In 1990’s terms, globalization gained political and scholarly currency - Labonte & Torgerson definition: “ processes by which nations, businesses & people are becoming more connected & interdependent via increased economic integration & communication exchange, cultural diffusion & travel Disparities between nations - What allows some people & nations to remain healthier & wealthier & other countries to fail to rise above extreme poverty Neoliberalism - An extreme form of classical liberalism Arose with capitalism in the 18th century Theory of political economy that emphasizes: Free Markets Trade Financial liberalization Minimal state governance 1980s- IMF & World Bank encourage “ roll-back” of state welfare and social safety netThe 1990s- “roll-out” of liberalized & deregulated global finance- this allowed investors to speculate & gamble on the global economy which eventually led to the 2008 global financial crisis - 1995 birth of World Trade Organization...many bilateral & regional trade & investment treaties ( often benefitting wealthier people within wealthier countries). OXFAM estimates the richest 26 billionaires = wealth (& political power) as the bottom. (3.8 billion people) Why is it important to know about globalization? - refers to the process of increasing interconnectedness and interdependence among countries and peoples across the world. It involves the exchange and integration of goods, services, information, ideas, cultures, and technologies across national borders. - Increased trade & globalization have led to increased use of ecological resources - Leading to climate change crisis, mass species extinction & collapse of ecosystems that are essential to sustaining life - Harmful health effects of the climate crisis- affects the poor & poorer countries more than the wealthy - Wealth inequalities, severe poverty & climate change (drought, famine & floods) have led to mass migration, often resulting in xenophobic & nationalist protectionist responses Food, Housing and Health Food insecurity- the inability to access adequate food because of financial constraints Criteria that suggest food insecurity - Worry about not having enough food Reliance on low cost foods Not able to afford balanced meals Adults/children skip meals Adults/children cut the size of meals Adults/children not having enough to eat Adult lost weight Adults/children not eating for a whole day or more Hunger can infiltrate a family in many ways including: - The birth of a child A change in the number of parents in the home A decline in the health of a family member A change in employment hours Limited data suggest that rising out of hunger best occurs when a mother obtains full-time employment Classifying household food insecurity (HFI) - Marginal HFI: concerned about running out of food and limitations to food variety - Moderate HFI: Inadequate quality or quantity of foods - Severe HFI: reduced food intake or disrupted eating As HFI severity increases, the risk of the following increases: - Depression and anxiety disorders Mood disorders Suicidal thoughts The worse the food insecurity, the greater the likelihood of poor health Household Food Insecurity and Health - Adults living with HFI experience higher rates of the following physical health complications: - Diabetes - Heart Disease - Hypertension - Arthritis - Back Problems - Chronic diseases Childhood Household food insecurity effects on health: Childhood Hyperactivity Inattention Adolescence and early adulthood Asthma Depression Suicidal ideation - The percentage of Children under 18 living in food-insecure houses has increased between 2019-2022. Food insecurity is more common on the East Coast The welfare diet - The Welfare Diet refers to a low-cost, nutritionally minimal diet An updated cost is $215.70, an increase of 139.1% since the first published diet in 1995 The Consumer Price Index (CPI) overall inflation since 1995 would cost the diet at $165.20, an 83.5% OW single rates have increase from $520 to $733 (October 199 to 2024), an increase of 41% BASICALLY, CPI inflation has increased by over DOUBLE the speed of OW rate increases while food inflation (using the welfare diet) has increased at 3.5 times the rate of increase in OW rates for singles Recent laws involving food policies to improve food charity includes: - Absolving donors of liability for food safety - Tax credits for local producers - Local food infrastructure fund But, - Most HFI households DO NOT use food banks Food charity DOES NOT move people out of food insecurity Required Policy to address household food insecurity 1. Income-based policies and interventions 2. Policy addressing additional social determinants of health Includes: Housing Employment Early childhood care Seed Sowing: A sustainable relationship with the land culture and communities alongside social and environmental justice is necessary to reduce food insecurity Policy Examples of Seed Sowing - Create opportunities to build partnerships across jurisdictions Eliminate barriers to Land Access Create space for Indigenous governance Simplify legal processes and documentation to support the transfer of Land agreements and trusts Support Land-based learning with Indigenous organizations Centre Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Knowledge in these opportunities Food insecurity : - Is an income problem Has significant negative health and wellness effects on Canadians Disproportionately affects certain groups of people more than others based on age, race, family status, gender, etc. In many Indigenous contexts, FI also includes reconciliation and sustainable connections to the Land Housing What is homelessness? - In canada, a peron, family or community who does nlt have stable or permanent housing or immediate prospects of acquiring housing Core Housing Needs are - Affordability Housing is affordable when it cost’s less than 30% of the household’s gross income - Suitability Housing is suitable when there are enough bedrooms for the number and make-up of household members as measured by the national occupancy standards - Adequacy When it is not in need of major repair to plumbing, structure, electrical, or any other integral system - In 2021, 1 in 10 households were in core housing needs - 20% of renters are in core housing needs - Nunavut has 32.9% of their population in core housing The right to housing is - “the right to live somewhere in security, peace and dignity” - Over a billion people worldwide are not adrequately housed Housing crisis The centralized waiting list for subsidized housing in the city of toronto in 2024 is 92,965 The Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) is a measure used in Canada to identify households that spend a significantly larger proportion of their income on necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing, compared to the average household. E.g- if the average household spends 60% of their income on food shelter and clothing etc.., if you spend more than 60%, than your clasifed as low income Precarious housing - Having unstable or unsafe housing, not knowing when you going to lose the house. Pay check to paycheck, unstable housing Examples of housing policy recommendations: - increasing funding of social housing programs for low-income Canadians - Support non-profit and cooperative housing sectors - Policies that address housing as a basic human need right - International approach to ending homelessness - Policy to reduce discrimination in rental housing - Policy to address the gap between housing costs and tenant incomes Policy to increase access to supportive community based housing Policy to reduce discrimination in rental housing Policy to address the gap between housing costs and tenant incomes â—‹Policy to increase access to supportive community-based housing Housing and Health: Higher rates of mortality for many infections/ diseases are associated with housing insecurity (for example. SDOH Test Notes - Veronica magnar - Remember the side effects of food insecurity for each age group - Gender and sex - The chart in the slide- different things that happened bc of climate change - 1`prevention=upstream - Direct impact vs indirect impact - The primary factor think critically about what the main impact is - Understand the different types og HFI - Individualism= less government prevention - positivism - call to action Social Determinants of health are the conditions in the environment where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect a wide range of health-function, and quality of life outcomes and risks. Race is a social construct primarily based on phenotype, ethnicity and other indicators of social differentiation that result in varying access to power and the social economic resources. Anti-Black racism: the system of beliefs and practices that attack, erode, and limit the humanity of black people Cultural racism: a form of racism that relies on cultural differences rather than biological markers of racial superiority or inferiority. The cultural difference can be real, imagined or constructed. Personally mediated racism: prejudice and discrimination that can be intentional and unintentional, as well as including acts of commission and acts of omission. Also known as the form of racism people are most familiar with, slurs, stereotypes, microaggressions etc.. Institutionalized racism: differential access to the goods services and opportunities of society by race. E.g bias in the healthcare system, justice system etc.. Structural racism: the normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics ( historical cultural and institutional) that advantage white people, producing cumulative chronic adverse outcomes for people of colour. CVD & Racism: A System of society that has the everlasting effect of oppression on todays world Mortality Gap in the United States - The mortality rate for Black women with breast cancer is 42% higher than the comparable rate for white women. Why? - Testing or screening for immigrant families is not promoted - There is a lack of race-based data in Canada - Women who are younger than 45, Black women are more likely to get breast cancer - Lack of routine raced-based data collection 20 women were interviewed 60% were immigrants 40% were born in Canada Stage of Breast Cancer at the Time of the Diagnosis Most of them were stage 2-3 cancer Themes of the interview 1. Importance of social support and community - A combination of friends and family that supported them through their diagnosis, and some people might have struggled to do that. 2. Importance of faith and spirituality - A lot of the people there did not think they would feel lost without their faith etc… 3. Cultural Considerations - Cancer is taboo “social exclusion” - Cancer is a death sentence - People are grieving you while your still alive 4. Mental Health and Psychological Support - The struggles and the mental health issues that come with getting a tough diagnosis like that - How did that affect people around them 5. Body Image and Intimacy Challenges 6. 7. 8. 9. How surgery and treatment affect how they look and the toll that has on mental health etc.. If they feel about them Surgery is different for black women Importance of fertility preservation- they didnt get the option to freeze their eggs Financial burden- it’s important to understand that even though we have free healthcare it’s not actually free, if jobs don’t cover it Lack of representation- there was no representation of POC post surgery or plastic surgery etc… Mistrust in the healthcare system: getting dumbed down versions of answers, like “ we’ll answer this next time” “this is not important rn etc… Overarching theme: Feeling invisible and Alone Advice for Black Women in the system: 1. Ask a lot of questions, 2. Advocate for yourself How to improve care for Black women in Canada - Screen Black women before the age of 50 - Listen to Black women and treat them with compassion - Your way isn't the only way - Deliver information and provide care in a culturally-informed way Conclusions - Invisibility and anti-Black racism in healthcare settings are unique concerns for Black women with breast Cancer in Toronto - Further research is needed to develop tools to address these inequities and work towards safe approaches Strengths - Addresses the research gap - Community-based approach - Collaborative research How to fight anti-black racism- acknowledge that anti-black racism exists and that it has an impact on the health and well-being of Canadians - Eliminate Anti-Black Racism requires support from all levels of government institutions, business schools, healthcare social services and community agencies - How you, your organization, is being inclusive and easily accessible to Black Canadians Social Exclusions - - Is the manifest through forms of oppression that order institutional arrangements and power relations with the effect of marginalizing a particular group in society to be denied the opportunity to participate in Canadian life Oppression that denies a particular group in society to be able to participate in can Call to Action 1. Public Policy in Canada Why do we study SDOH? To identify Societal factors - (income and employment, geography) that shape health and help explain health inequitirs Societal Forces - Social and political that shape the quality of these distribution Where does policy lie in the SDOH chart? - Socioeconomic and political context Defining Public policy - Determines who gets what, where, when, why and how - Agents who do those: The government acts as an agent for this - Involves a deliberate decision to pursue a specific policy E.g Minimize tax-payer dollars on healthcare to maximize profits of the one percent Public Policy has 3 components 1. Identify or define the specific problem or issue 2. Identify the specific objectives and goals that are desired 3. Determine how the goals will be achieved and the problem will be resolved How do we define issues in public policy - What causes this? What quantitative and qualitative factors are involved? What type of knowledge/ voices matter? How has social policy evolved in Canada? Early periodLimited stated involvement mostly religious charities and organizations in social policy Middle Period - Supports the state for being more involved, initially dominated by the federal footprint over time, provinces have a shared cost Neo-Liberal period - Reduced state involvement (and provinces/ municipalities expected to food more of the bill) a bigger move towards individualism Public Policy: some tangible actions that everyday people can do to develop public policy 1. Share concepts included in the course content (Social media family etc..) 2. Support political parties that are commited to acknowledging and act on SDOH 3. Strengthens sectors that have influence of SDOH (labour uniouns 4. Join or support organizations active in strengthening the SDOH Individulism in Health - Structural barriers downplayed- lifestyle approaches to health e.g (Not understanding effect of job employment gender on health not just “education of promations) - Promtion/prevention - Presumes that people have choice- limits social activism - Significant implications for responding or reproducing health inequities Positivism in Health science - Reliance on quantitate approaches - Fixated on individual risk factors - Committed to objectivity - Takes social and political agenda’s out of the equation Differing SDOH discourses 3. Public Policy and SDOH Pluaralism - Governments adopt good policy ideas - Why have we made such little movements on such little movement on low income, social exclusion, ad social infrastructure Political Economy - Policies serve the “economic elites” - Little movement on pluralism because we do not want to increase taxr on wealthy corporations and individuals - The privileged person looks at the lived reality of the less privileged and assumes that the world works for others the way it works for themselves. Housing and Public Policy - When it comes to someone’s well-being, poverty, lack of housing and social support can have a major impact on a person’s overall health Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are on the waitlist for affordable housing in canada The National Housing Strategy 2018-2028 - Cut chronic Homelessness by 50% - Remove 530,000 families from housing needs - Renovates and modernizes 300,000 homes - Builds 125,000 new homes Childcare and Public Policy - Ottowa is spending less than half of what it needs to on childcare - It’s time to have childcare for all Education and Public Policy - Every child left behind: How education cuts fuel inequality in people - Over 200,00 teachers in the Canadian government remain without an active collective agreement Healthcare and Public Policy - No Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescriptions and putting food on the table so pharma care helps with that - Reduces out-of-pocket spending on medications Examples of Housing Policy recommendations: - Increasing funding of social housing programs for low-income Canadians - Support non-profit and co-op housing sectors
