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a, Opinion

Commentary: The American health care distraction

by Justin Hatherly on

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In the debate over health care reform in Canada, defenders of the status quo often resort to the tired claim that a greater role for competition, private financing, or private provision of health care services in Canada would mean the ‘Americanization’ of health care. Indeed, the claim is often made that proponents of private financing and delivery with the universal Medicare system are recommending the United States’ approach to health care policy in which only the rich can have access to top quality care, a highly deceptive and misleading argument.

Most people arguing for a greater role for private financing and delivery of health care in Canada are not recommending the adoption of a U.S. style health care system. All Canadians should agree that it is in the national interest to have a high- quality universal access health care system regardless of ability to pay.

The U.S. is a straw man comparison and is not a model for any country to reform its own nation’s health care system on. In addition to its high costs, the U.S. also fails to deliver coverage to millions of its citizens. However, while Canadian health care is better than the system (or lack thereof) that exists in the U.S., it actually performs relatively poorly compared to other developed nations that provide universal health care.

The question Canadians must ask is how to best organize health care policy in Canada to better deliver on the promise of high quality care provided in a timely fashion regardless of ability to pay at reasonable cost to the taxpayer. The facts show clearly that Canada’s government breaks that promise on a daily basis despite asking Canadians to pay for the developed world’s second most expensive universal access health care system.

Notably, in spite of those comparatively high expenditures, Canadians receive relatively poor access to physicians and medical technologies, and are cared for using far too many old and outdated pieces of medical equipment. Canadians also have to live through the agony of some of the longest waiting times in the developed world.

The question Canadians must ask is how to best organize health care policy in Canada to better deliver on the promise of high quality care provided in a timely fashion

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, and Switzerland all deliver health care services without waiting lists that are excessively long, while still providing treatment regardless of ability to pay.

Australia, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and France all manage to outperform Canada in outcomes closely related to the performance of the health care system. According to the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based market-oriented think tank, Canada performs worse than these other nations on indicators that range from infant mortality to breast cancer survival rates.

Critically, every one of these nine nations employs competition in the delivery and financing of health care and requires patients to share in the cost of the care consumed to the benefit of both patients and the public treasury.

More specifically, each of these nations employs private providers in the delivery of publicly funded health care services, employs a private parallel health care sector that individuals can access easily, and requires cost sharing or user fees for universally accessible health care services.

According to organizations like the World Health Organization and the respected health policy think tank the Commonwealth Foundation, all the above-mentioned nations achieve better health care outcomes at a lower cost than Canada.

The claim that employing private financing and provision of health care in Canada would lead to the ‘Americanization’ of health care is not based on facts. The truth is that employing these policies would improve the state of health care in this country and make Canada’s universal health care system much more like those in Sweden, Switzerland, or Japan. Universal health care is rightly a Canadian value. Yet this does not mean the system is perfect. The failure of the Canadian model to deliver a quality of service on par to other developed nations means that we must move away from our obsession with comparing ourselves to the U.S. and learn from our global peers who seem better able to balance the twin goals of equity and efficiency in health care.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

TV Reviews

by Elizabeth McLellan, Martin Molpeceres, Max Joseph on

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Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey has gained a solid and loyal following throughout its four seasons, mainly consisting of—from my experience—an older female demographic. However, I myself have kept up with the show, and have discovered some male friends who shyly profess their love for the British soap opera. This bashfulness is unnecessary and outdated, but unfortunately, there’s still a perception that dramatic and romantic shows are still exclusively targeting women. While the historical time period entails a certain gender hierarchy, the presence of powerful and influential women adds complexity to the show, and makes it all the more engaging for a feminist viewer.
With only two episodes of season five released in North America thus far, Downton has already introduced some major developments. However, each episode seems to be grasping at some dramatic event to spice up the drawling day-to-day life of an aristocratic household. Edith throws a book across her room, and as it lands in the fireplace—which apparently burns all night—it then ricochets onto the floor while she lies in her bed, oblivious to the sudden burst of flames.
While this plot development, among others, is disappointingly superficial, the characters remain complex. The development of the under-butler Thomas Barrow over past seasons seems to be coming to a head in the fifth, as we see his soft and vulnerable side conflicting with the vindictive manipulation of his co-workers. Rob James Collier performs the character with stunning persuasion, perhaps outshining any other performance on the show. Sparks like these keep the BBC series burning season after season, despite some of the contradictory moments and bland performances. The new season holds the promise of more intrigue, scandal, and the possibility of some shifts in the paradigms of British society, changing the very framework of the show and making it both exciting and interesting to watch.

— Elizabeth McLellan

Parks and Recreation

It’s the beginning of the end; Amy Poehler’s hit sitcom Parks and Recreation premiered its seventh and final season last week with two back-to-back episodes, “2017” and “Ron and Jammy.” So, does the vehicle for television’s perkiest comedian successfully rekindle its infectious energy? Short answer: Abso-frikin-lutely.
Starting the audience smack-dab back where season six ended with a brief glimpse of 2017 Pawnee, the show doesn’t miss a beat as it comfortably slides back into its familiar setting, acting as though it had never left. For this reason, new fans are probably better left starting elsewhere in the series as, despite the sitcom aesthetic, continuity jokes hold the brunt of the humour.
However, it is for this very reason that returning fans will find a lot to love and then some with the new season, as familiar characters and dynamics are played off hysterically with clever twists, while futurist jokes are few and unobtrusive. While the premiere isn’t exactly perfect—Tom’s subplot feels a little underdeveloped compared to the others’—if these episodes are a sign of things to come, then season 7 is gearing up to be the series’ best.

— Martin Molpeceres

Girls

Four seasons into its run, Girls is becoming increasingly like televisual comfort food. Though it may not offer much in the way of surprises—as other long-running shows, such as Mad Men, are still able to do from time to time—it consistently provides its viewers with half-hours that are funny, diverting, and sometimes even moving.
This season’s premiere was no exception. Adam was his bizarre but lovable self (his depression ad provided the episode’s comic highlight), Hannah was as neurotic as ever (the episode’s teaser was pleasantly reminiscent of that of the pilot), and the supporting cast continued to play their respective roles quite nicely.
Most notable among them was Marnie. Her already-infamous sex scene from the episode’s opening minutes guaranteed on its own that she’d be among the show’s most-discussed characters, but her dramatic meltdown following her disastrous jazz brunch performance made for a satisfying emotional climax.
The New York setting worked as well as it has in the past, but it’ll be interesting to see how the show handles Hannah’s move to Iowa. The challenges of her long-distance relationship should provide a healthy dose of dramatic intrigue, and the new setting provides opportunities to keep the now-familiar character from becoming stale.

— Max Joseph

a, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

Know your coaches: Martlet and Redmen basketball and hockey

by Wyatt Fine-Gagné on

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Peter Smith – Martlet Hockey

There are very few teams in university sports that can claim to be as dominant as the Martlet ice hockey team has been in recent years. A large part of that success can be traced back to the steady hand of Peter Smith, who has served as the team’s coach for 15 seasons and holds a career .721 winning percentage behind the bench. Like many McGill coaches, Smith holds a degree from the school as well. Smith, however, spent his time at McGill in the pool, rather than on the ice. He swam for the Redmen and was team captain from 1977-1979, qualifying for CIS nationals in all three years. Smith has also had success with the Canadian national women’s team, winning a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship as head coach, and a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics as an assistant coach.

Kelly Nobes – Redmen Hockey

When Kelly Nobes was hired in 2010 as the Redmen hockey team’s head coach, he had big shoes to fill. The team’s previous head coach, Martin Raymond, held the position for over a decade before leaving for a job with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs—a minor league affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. In the four years since being hired, Nobes has managed to achieve success surpassing that of any previous Redmen head coaches. The 2010-2011 Redmen squad set a school record for wins in a single season, and the following year McGill won its first ever University Cup title. Nobes is no stranger to success in a McGill jersey, spending four years as a centre on the team before graduating in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. During his time on the team he tallied 181 points in just 131 games, and graduated as the ninth-leading scorer in team history.

Ryan Thorne – Martlet Basketball

Coach Ryan Thorne was awarded his fourth RSEQ Coach-of-the-Year award in 2014, and it came as no surprise after Thorne coached the Martlets to their third consecutive RSEQ Championship. Thorne has served as the team’s coach for 12 seasons, but it is only recently that McGill has truly hit its stride. Despite struggling early in his tenure, the Martlets are now poised to compete for a national championship, in part thanks to Thorne’s strong recruiting record—a Martlet has been named RSEQ Rookie-of-the-Year for each of the past three seasons. Thorne spent his playing days with Bishop’s University, captaining the Gaiters to a National Championship in 1997-1998 while being named an all-Canadian in the process. With the Martlets holding a perfect record, it may not be long before Thorne adds a second title to his mantle.

David DeAveiro – Redmen Basketball

It has been almost 40 years since the Redmen basketball team last won a national championship, but that is a drought that David DeAveiro is working hard to end. In his four years at the helm of McGill’s program, DeAveiro has led the team to two RSEQ Championships, but the team has yet to have success on the national stage. DeAveiro’s coaching career began with the University of Ottawa, where he also spent five seasons as a player. Since he began coaching, DeAveiro has worked with Canadian national teams at all levels, including in 2011 when he served as an assistant coach for the national squad competing in the PanAm Games.

a, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

The week that was: January 20

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Athletes of the week

Francois Bourque

Bourque, a towering 6’6” forward from Terrebonne, Quebec, carried the Redmen to two victories over the weekend against Laval. He notched a double double in both games and averaged 13.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, proving to be too much to handle in the paint and on the glass. Bourque has come back from the winter break with a renewed sense of aggression and has hit double digits in points and rebounds in all but one game. The Redmen, who often operate with Bourque as their sole big man, will need more performances like this to keep the wins coming.

Katia Cleyment-Heydra

The reigning CIS Player-of-the-Year was at her finest once again for the Martlets this weekend, tallying two goals and two assists over a pair of games. She did most of her damage in a 5-3 victory against Concordia, scoring a goal merely 14 seconds into the game, the new team record for fastest goal. She has been instrumental to the Martlets’ success, is leading the CIS in assists, and is tied for sixth in total scoring. Look for this seasoned veteran to peak in the second half of the season and cap out an already noteworthy career.

Beyond the box score

Martlet Hockey 

With a weekend split–a 5-3 win against Concordia and a 6-4 loss to number one ranked Montreal–the Martlets will likely stay ranked second in the nationwide rankings. Senior forward Katia Clement-Heydra put forth strong performances in each game, tallying four points in total. This included scoring the opening goal 14 seconds into the loss to Montreal, which set a school record for quickest goal to begin a game. The team’s leading scorers Gabrielle Davidson and Leslie Oles racked up three and four points respectively over the weekend. McGill’s goaltending was uncharacteristically weak, as both Brittany Smrke and Taylor Hough struggled to make saves at times when the Martlets needed them. Smrke stopped just 23 of 28 shots he faced, and Hough didn’t fare much better, turning away 19 of 22 shots. The Martlets now have a week of rest before taking on Concordia on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m.

Martlet Basketball 

The Martlets’ (8-0) undefeated season continued this week, with two victories over the Laval Rouge-et-Or. McGill triumphed 74-62 on the road Thursday, before returning home Saturday to win 61-52. The games marked the 15th and 16th consecutive wins against Laval for McGill. All-Canadian forward Mariam Sylla led the way in both match-ups, notching 11 points and 8 rebounds in Thursday’s game before pouring in 18 points and collecting 18 rebounds Saturday. The latter effort was Sylla’s league-leading fourth double-double this season. Senior point guard Dianna Ros also made significant contributions, reaching double-digit scoring in both games while dishing out six assists per game. McGill’s victories, coupled with a Windsor Lancers’ loss Saturday, mean that the Martlets will likely climb to number one in the nationwide rankings for the first time in the program’s history.

Martlet Volleyball

The Martlets raced out to an early one set lead but were unable to finish the job, ceding three straight sets to the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. With the exception of the second set which ended 25-17, only 11 total points separated the two squads in the other three sets. Additionally, rapidly improving middle blocker, Charlotte Clarke, tore her ACL while star libero Daphnee-Maude Andre-Morin will be spending the rest of the season on the bench after failing to receive clearance from the medical staff following a concussion earlier in the season. Clarke had registered seven points prior to exiting the game while junior power hitter Ashley Norfleet led the squad with 14.5 points earned primarily through 13 kills. The Martlets currently sit in last place in the RSEQ but still have five games to turn their season around.

By the numbers

1.98 – Height, in metres, of Hao Xu’s gold medal-winning high jump for McGill at the Rouge et Or Invitational. Also, on an unrelated note, Michael Jordan’s height.

300 – Number of games David D’Aveiro has won as head coach of the Redmen basketball team after Saturday’s victory over Laval.

319 – Number of fans who didn’t find a seat at this year’s Carnival game.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

The Yellow Wallpaper puts on clinic in simple, eerie brilliance

by Luka Ciklovan on

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Oftentimes it is the sheer surface simplicity of art that enables it to strike a resonant tone within the audience. Tuesday Night Theater (TNC)’s production of the The Yellow Wallpaper, based off of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s haunting 1892 short story, brilliantly demonstrates this phenomenon. On the surface, TNC’s rather frugal production, which presents a largely unadulterated version of Gilman’s story, may come off as overly simplistic; however, smart and creative choices in stage design, lighting, and costuming as well as powerful acting stand as a testament to the production’s outstanding performance. Its simplicity allows the issues of gender inequality to come to the fore easily, captivating the audience just as the short story did in 1892.

The Yellow Wallpaper provides a historical snapshot of popular—but skewed—notions surrounding the medical and professional treatment of women during the 19th century. It highlights a woman’s descent into madness as she is subjected to the popular treatment for mental illness at the time, Dr. S Weir Mitchell’s infamous ‘rest cure.’ Though Dr. Mitchell’s treatment called for the near-complete cessation of mental and physical stimuli, TNC’s production of Gilman’s classic presents us with an abundance of both such things that intelligently makes the audience feel the error of the Victorian Age.

While walking into the theatre, the ominous presence of yellow-tinged insanity begins to impart its subtle effects on the viewer. The entirety of the stage is designed in such a way that the audience is not merely viewing the characters acting within the confines of a separate yellow-wallpapered room, but actually within the room itself, surrounded on all sides by a creeping yellow glow. This decision, coupled with purposefully placed deviations in the largely consistent yellow pattern, is instrumental in enabling the audience to mirror, to some extent, the exact emotions of curiosity and suffocation undergone by the play’s narrator as a result of the wallpaper. The lighting design, coordinated by Louis Ramirez and Hayley Brown, nicely complements the atmosphere generated through the set by appropriately and dynamically changing the lighting according to the tension of the scene.

The eeriness of the great set design is matched by the equally hair-raising performances of Connor Spencer and Rachel Stone. Stone, calmly enacting the narrator’s more submissive tendencies with her slow and often blank-faced line delivery, and Spencer, spastically fidgeting out the narrator’s growing mental instability with intense eye movements and incessant scratching, both play the divided consciousness of the narrator as she struggles to cope with the pressures of solitary confinement. Their respective costumes brilliantly highlight this dichotomy between the two, as Stone sports a more traditional, homey orange sweater and skirt combo while Spencer wears a pair of white button-down jeans and a white headband that are subtly reminiscent of a psychiatric ward. While there were occasional slip-ups in line delivery, none were substantial enough to detract from the overall experience.

The chemistry between the two actors is really brought out by director Grace Jackson’s meticulous emphasis on the positioning of the two. At the outset of the play—a time when the narrator’s sanity is relatively intact—the two are constantly placed opposite from one another on stage and maintain this mirror image in what serves to clearly illustrate a mental separation between the two. However, the end of the play increasingly places the two characters placed side by side, often delivering the same lines together, in what symbolizes an unfortunate union of insanity.

Although TNC’s production of The Yellow Wallpaper doesn’t break any new ground and rarely deviates from the traditional plot, it still delivers a powerful message in its quick hour-long runtime, which results in a short, sweet, and to the point production.

The Yellow Wallpaper runs from Wednesday, Jan. 14 to Saturday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. at Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre (3485 McTavish). Student/senior tickets are 6$ and adult tickets are 10$.

Travel

The white-hot beauty of Iceland in stunning photos

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This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content.

If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit.

In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts.

All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers.

© Images: IURIE BELEGURSCHI

Travel

Running tours add a workout to city sightseeing

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Image by Curtis MacNewton (Flickr)
Image by Curtis MacNewton (Flickr)

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content.

If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit.

In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts.

All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers.

As a result of which, your entry will repay your efforts. Take your sales; simply put, they will rise. Likewise your credibility. There’s every chance your competitors will wish they’d placed this entry, not you. While your customers will have probably forgotten that your competitors even exist. Which brings us, by a somewhat circuitous route, to another small point, but one which we feel should be raised.

Long copy or short – You decide

As a marketer, you probably don’t even believe in body copy. Let alone long body copy. (Unless you have a long body yourself.) Well, truth is, who‘s to blame you? Fact is, too much long body copy is dotted with such indulgent little phrases like truth is, fact is, and who’s to blame you. Trust us: we guarantee, with a hand over our heart, that no such indulgent rubbish will appear in your entry. That’s why God gave us big blue pencils. So we can expunge every example of witted waffle.

For you, the skies will be blue, the birds will sing, and your copy will be crafted by a dedicated little man whose wife will be sitting at home, knitting, wondering why your entry demands more of her husband‘s time than it should.

But you will know why, won‘t you? You will have given her husband a chance to immortalize himself in print, writing some of the most persuasive prose on behalf of a truly enlightened purveyor of widgets. And so, while your dedicated reader, enslaved to each mellifluous paragraph, clutches his newspaper with increasing interest and intention to purchase, you can count all your increased profits and take pots of money to your bank. Sadly, this is not the real copy for this entry. But it could well be. All you have to do is look at the account executive sitting across your desk (the fellow with the lugubrious face and the calf-like eyes), and say ”Yes! Yes! Yes!“ And anything you want, body copy, dinners, women, will be yours. Couldn’t be fairer than that, could we?

Social Media

YouTube at 10: Under siege but still dominant

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Image: KIYOSHI OTA/GETTY
Image: KIYOSHI OTA/GETTY

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content.

If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit.

In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts.

All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers.

As a result of which, your entry will repay your efforts. Take your sales; simply put, they will rise. Likewise your credibility. There’s every chance your competitors will wish they’d placed this entry, not you. While your customers will have probably forgotten that your competitors even exist. Which brings us, by a somewhat circuitous route, to another small point, but one which we feel should be raised.

Long copy or short – You decide

As a marketer, you probably don’t even believe in body copy. Let alone long body copy. (Unless you have a long body yourself.) Well, truth is, who‘s to blame you? Fact is, too much long body copy is dotted with such indulgent little phrases like truth is, fact is, and who’s to blame you. Trust us: we guarantee, with a hand over our heart, that no such indulgent rubbish will appear in your entry. That’s why God gave us big blue pencils. So we can expunge every example of witted waffle.

For you, the skies will be blue, the birds will sing, and your copy will be crafted by a dedicated little man whose wife will be sitting at home, knitting, wondering why your entry demands more of her husband‘s time than it should.

But you will know why, won‘t you? You will have given her husband a chance to immortalize himself in print, writing some of the most persuasive prose on behalf of a truly enlightened purveyor of widgets. And so, while your dedicated reader, enslaved to each mellifluous paragraph, clutches his newspaper with increasing interest and intention to purchase, you can count all your increased profits and take pots of money to your bank. Sadly, this is not the real copy for this entry. But it could well be. All you have to do is look at the account executive sitting across your desk (the fellow with the lugubrious face and the calf-like eyes), and say ”Yes! Yes! Yes!“ And anything you want, body copy, dinners, women, will be yours. Couldn’t be fairer than that, could we?

Business

BMW and Nissan Interested in Partnering With Tesla

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NG HAN GUAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Image: NG HAN GUAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content.

If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit.

In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts.

All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers.

a, News, PGSS

PGSS Council votes to endorse No Campaign for upcoming CFS referendum

by Jenna Stanwood on

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Last Wednesday, the Postgraduate Students’ Society of McGill University (PGSS) held an emergency Council meeting regarding an upcoming referendum question on whether PGSS should remain a member of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), a national student union. (more…)

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