On February 22, 2005, parliamentarians and women's health experts gathered "on
the Hill"; for the First National Women's Health Roundtable and Reception.
Hosted by the Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN), this event recognized
the contributions that parliamentarians make to their communities and our country
as "health ambassadors."
Almost 50 health advocates, key researchers, and representatives from various
health professional organizations, the CWHN, and the Centres of Excellence for
Women's Health from across Canada joined in Ottawa to share our knowledge
and explore how we can support parliamentarians' ongoing work. This was
also an opportunity to discuss with key decision makers the importance of women's
health to the well being of our nation.
Women's health issues cross party lines and representatives from all
parties in the House of Commons attended along with several Senators. All clearly
demonstrated their commitment to improve the health of girls and women in Canada.
A highlight of the event was a round table discussion exploring women's
health issues emerging as priorities for the second half of this decade, 2005-2010,
that the Honourable Senator Maria Chaput (Manitoba) and Dr. Abby Lippman, CWHN
Co-Chair and Professor of Epidemiology at McGill University, chaired. The speakers
included the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State (Public
Health), the Honourable Senator Lucie P épin, member Social
Affairs, Science and Technology Senate Committee, Bonnie Brown, M.P., Chair
of the Standing Committee on Health, Nicole Demers, M.P. for the Bloc Qu ébecois,
Anita Neville, M.P., Chair of the Standing Committee for
the Status of Women, Jean Crowder, NDP Heath Critic, Steven
Fletcher, Conservative Health Critic. Prepared remarks from the Honourable Liza
Frulla, Minister Status of Women were read.
This round table discussion explored the importance of relationships between
Parliamentarians and women's health experts as key to keeping abreast of
and informed about issues and to ensure the collaborations necessary to advance
the women's health agenda.
Speakers noted how the work of the women's health experts helped them "connect
the dots" so that issues do not get lost in one department and that the
health implications of diverse policies are recognized. Almost all recognized
the importance of the determinants of health, in particular gender, poverty,
violence, aging, race and culture, for understanding women's health, and
acknowledged the need to focus policies on these concerns.
Some of the up-and-coming issues that were identified by the speakers included
the urgency of creating the regulatory agency for assisted reproductive technologies,
ensuring the safety of pharmaceutical products for Canadians, the lack of resources
for home care and mental health as well as aboriginal women's health needs --in
particular, the importance of training a range of aboriginal health care professionals.
Some of the speakers also addressed the importance of implementing gender-based
analysis (GBA) for all policies in all departments.
Many also agreed that there is an urgent need for "evidence-based" decision
making in policy decisions, and also stressed, the need for "citizen engagement" to
help the government ensure that there is a cooperative approach to the issues.
A reception followed the round table discussion and provided the chance for
more informal conversations amongst the participants, networking with peers,
and in depth discussions with decision makers.
The CWHN has received many positive comments from all participants and plans
to return next year with the Second National Women's Health Roundtable
and Reception to again bring women's voices to the national health agenda.
The CWHN is a network of individuals and organizations from across Canada
who believe that health is a human right that eludes many women because of poverty,
politics and dwindling resources for health and social services. The CWHN is
committed to enhancing women's health in Canada by facilitating information
sharing, and building regional and national links among organizations and individuals
who care about women's health. For more information, visit www.cwhn.ca or
contact: 1-888-818-9172.
Policy Briefs
