Business
Canadian health care continues to perform poorly compared to other countries
From the Fraser Institute
By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua
At 30 weeks, this year marked the longest total wait for non-emergency surgery in more than 30 years of measurement.
Our system isn’t just worsening over time, it’s also performing badly compared to our universal health-care peers.
Earlier this year, the U.S.-based Commonwealth Fund (in conjunction with the Canadian Institute for Health Information) released the results of their international health policy survey, which includes nine high-income universal health-care countries—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, Canada continued to come in near or dead last on key measures of timely access. Most notably, Canada ranked worst for wait times for specialists and non-emergency surgery.
For example, whereas almost half (46 per cent) of Canadians surveyed indicated they waited two months or more for a specialist appointment, that number was just 15.1 per cent in the Netherlands and 13.2 per cent in Switzerland. And while one in five (19.9 per cent) Canadians reported waiting more than one year for non-emergency surgery, just half a per cent (0.6) of Swiss respondents indicated a similar wait. And no one in the Netherlands reported waiting as long.
What explains the superior performance of these two countries compared to Canada?
Simply put, they do universal health care very differently.
For example, the Netherlands, which ranked first on both indicators, mandates that residents purchase private insurance in a regulated but competitive marketplace. This system allows for private insurance firms to negotiate with health-care providers on prices, but these insurance firms must also accept all applicants and charge their policy holders the same monthly fee for coverage (i.e. they cannot discriminate based on pre-existing conditions).
In Switzerland, which ranked among the top three on both measures, patients must also purchase coverage in a regulated private insurance marketplace and share (10-20 per cent) of the cost of their care (with an annual maximum and protections for the most vulnerable).
Both countries also finance their hospitals based on their activity, which means hospitals are paid for the services they actually provide for each patient, and are incentivized to provide higher volumes of care. Empirical evidence also suggests this approach improves hospital efficiency and potentially lowers wait times. In contrast, governments in Canada provide hospitals with fixed annual budgets (known as “global budgets”) so hospitals treat patients like costs to be minimized and are disincentivized from treating complex cases.
It’s no surprise that in 2022, the latest year of available data, a lot more Swiss (94 per cent) and Dutch (83 per cent) reported satisfaction with their health-care system compared to Canadians (56 per cent).
No matter where you look, evidence on the shortcomings of Canada’s health-care system is clear. Fundamental reform is required for Canadians to have timelier care that matches what’s available in universal health-care countries abroad.
Business
Digital ID in sports: Detroit Pistons Partner with Digital ID Company to Implement Biometric Verification
Digital ID is entering more aspects of everyday life.
The Detroit Pistons, enjoying one of their most competitive seasons in years, are embracing a digital transformation with a partnership with ID.me, a company specializing in biometric ID verification and digital identity wallets. This move reflects a growing trend in professional sports, where teams are adopting digital identity tools under the guise of enhancing fan experience but also expanding the use of biometric systems in everyday activities.
More: Biometric Entry For Major League Baseball Games is Becoming More Prevalent Through this collaboration, the Pistons will deploy ID.me’s technology to streamline services for their community, including season ticket holders, loyalty program members, and groups like teachers, nurses, and military personnel. According to the Pistons, biometric verification will ensure that benefits, tickets, and exclusive offers reach actual fans rather than being snatched up by bots and scalpers. “ID.me is thrilled to help Detroit Pistons fans access tickets and special offers in a more secure, frictionless way,” said Taylor Liggett, chief growth officer at ID.me. He emphasized how digital identity wallets combat increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts by bad actors in the ticketing market. Adam Falkson, Vice President of Business Intelligence for the Pistons, framed the partnership as a response to evolving threats. “Like most industries, the risk and sophistication around fraud continues to be a threat and a challenge,” he said. Falkson added that the shared vision with ID.me is to protect customers while enhancing services in a secure and gated manner. However, critics have noted that the growing adoption of digital ID systems in sports goes beyond ticket security, potentially normalizing the use of biometrics in everyday transactions. Sports franchises are increasingly positioning biometric verification as essential for modern fan experiences, extending its use to concessions, merchandise, alcohol purchases, and VIP access. ID.me, which has recently seen a surge in partnerships, views sports as a fertile ground for advancing its technology. The adoption of these systems aligns with the industry’s broader trend of integrating biometrics into live events, framing it as a way to “strengthen fan relationships” and streamline services. While the Detroit Pistons and ID.me tout the convenience and security of such systems, the broader implications of tying everyday activities to biometric verification risks the growth of a checkpoint society. |
Alberta
Alberta’s Danielle Smith meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago for ‘friendly and constructive’ meeting
From LifeSiteNews
Meetings of these kinds in the past would normally have included Canada’s official ambassador, however, Smith has not waited for the Trudeau government to advocate for Canadian energy and instead has gone at it alone.
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith met with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home to champion “ethically” sourced Albertan oil and gas only days before the president-elect is set to be inaugurated, in what she said was a “friendly and constructive” meeting.
“Over the last 24 hours I had the opportunity to meet President @realdonaldtrump at Mar-a-Lago last night and at his golf club this morning. We had a friendly and constructive conversation during which I emphasized the mutual importance of the U.S. – Canadian energy relationship, and specifically, how hundreds of thousands of American jobs are supported by energy exports from Alberta,” wrote Smith on X about her weekend meeting with Trump.
The unprecedented meeting came at the same time Trump appears to have soured relations with Canadian Liberal elites over his annexation talk.
It also comes after soon-to-be-gone Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-lago last month and appeared to refuse to step up and defend the interests of Canadian energy over Trump’s threats to slap high tariffs on Canadian goods once he takes office.
Smith noted about her meeting with Trump that she was able to have “similar discussions” about championing Albertan energy “with several key allies of the incoming administration and was encouraged to hear their support for a strong energy and security relationship with Canada.”
“On behalf of Albertans, I will continue to engage in constructive dialogue and diplomacy with the incoming administration and elected federal and state officials from both parties and will do all I can to further Alberta’s and Canada’s interests,” she wrote.
Since taking office in 2015, the Trudeau government has continued to push a radical environmental agenda like the agendas being pushed by the World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset” and the United Nations’ “Sustainable Development Goals.”
Smit, on the other hand, has been a fierce opponent of Trudeau’s green energy agenda and an advocate for the oil and gas industry.
She will be attending Trump’s inauguration later next week.
Observer notes Trump made ‘beeline’ for Smith to meet her at Mar-a-Lago event
Political analyst for the Calgary Sun Rick Bell, who knows Smith and speaks with her regularly, noted about her meeting with Trump that when “Trump and his family and entourage” arrived he made “a beeline for Smith. He has obviously been told she is the premier of Alberta.”
“Smith, as you know, has recently been speaking non-stop about oil and gas and is no fan of tariffs,” Bell wrote.
Bell noted how Smith and Trump spoke about “energy, about oil and gas, about Alberta and Canada,” adding that she told him that production of Alberta oil is “ramping up in a big way and the U.S. buys a lot of Alberta oil.”
“Smith asks if Trump wants more of our oil. Trump does. It is by far Canada’s biggest export to the Americans,” wrote Bell.
Smith, in her message about her meeting with Trump, noted that Canada and the United States are both “proud and independent nations with one of the most important security alliances on earth and the largest economic partnership in history.”
She emphasized how Alberta needs to preserve its “independence while we grow this critical partnership for the benefit of Canadians and Americans for generations to come.”
Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world, with most of it being in Alberta, which is produced ethically, unlike in other nations.
Smith’s meeting with Trump is unusual in that it has happened right before he will become president. Meetings of these kinds in the past would normally have included Canada’s official ambassador, however, Smith has not waited for the Trudeau government to advocate for Canadian energy and instead has gone at it alone.
Recently, Trump has drawn the ire of many Canadian politicians, including Conservatives, after he said rather brazenly last week that he was considering using “economic force” to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
He claimed that there is a $200 billion trade deficit between Canada and the U.S. regarding spending on “subsidies” and the fact the U.S. military is there to also “protect Canada.”
Smith and others did not seem too offended by Trump’s remarks, most likely realizing they may be part of his negotiating strategy.
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre, who likely will soon be the nation’s next prime minister, however, had choice words for Trump.
Trump’s comments came only a day after Trudeau announced he plans to step down as Liberal Party leader once a new leader has been chosen. He was approved by Governor General Mary Simon to prorogue parliament until March 24. This means he is still serving as prime minister, but all parliamentary business has been stopped.
Smith was against forced COVID jabs, her United Conservative government has in recent months banned men from competing in women’s sports came and passed a bill banning so-called “top and bottom” surgeries for minors as well as other extreme forms of transgender ideology.
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