A RECAP OF THE THRONE SPEECH AT QUEEN’S PARK

Libby Znaimer is joined by Bob Richardson, Liberal Strategist and Senior Council to National Public Relations, John Mykytyshyn, Conservative strategist and President of Bradgate Research Group as well as Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO).

There are “no easy solutions to Ontario’s health care and inflation challenges”. That was the message in yesterday’s speech from the throne setting out the government’s agenda. It’s a far cry from the slogan they got re-elected on: the promise to “get it done.” Some stakeholders are taking comfort from the number of references to healthcare and nurses – as  an acknowledgment that they get it. And it is certainly a contrast to what we have heard from Health Minister Sylvia Jones – that this is not a crisis. Some have started to predict that this may be the beginning of the end for the Ford Tories. But where do we go from here and can we expect any improvement?

SEGMENT 2-CALLS FOR BETTER TRACKING OF DATA TO ADDRESS CANADA’S HEALTHCARE CRISIS

Libby Znaimer is joined by Jean-Paul Soucy, a PhD student in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Canada does not have a national system for tracking or preventing shortages of nurses and other medical workers. Experts say that’s part of the reason we are facing emergency room shutdowns and service cutbacks. There’s also  no way to track how many medical professionals are working in various specialties, or which regions they are working in. The president of the Canadian Medical Association says this is standing in the way of meaningful improvement in Canadian health care. So is part of the answer to our problems yet another federal agency?

CANADIANS ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE ECONOMY

Libby Znaimer is now joined by John Wright, Executive Vice President of Maru Public Opinion, and Moshe Lander, Senior Lecturer of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal.

Are you worried about your finances? According to a new poll by Yahoo Canada and Maru Public Opinion, half of us are worried about  affording the necessities. A majority (at 59 percent) believe that the country is headed towards a recession and we also think ( 53 percent ) that the Bank of Canada hiking interest rates will lead to a recession.
Inflation is tracking over 8% – but there was one bit of good news out of the US today – it did not go up any more in July.