News Archive

Canada’s aging population is often criticized for “hoarding” wealth and straining public pensions and health care, but experts say this framing misrepresents reality, as most Canadians are net beneficiaries of the welfare state over their lifetimes, with only top earners contributing more than they receive. Senior health economist Sasha van Katwyk and former Statistics Canada official Michael Wolfson argue that the real challenge lies in long-term fiscal pressures from health care and pensions, which could require gradual tax increases, targeted pension reforms, and efficiency-focused health care changes. They emphasize that focusing on generational blame obscures deeper wealth inequalities and systemic inefficiencies, warning that Canada risks fiscal strain only if structural reforms are ignored.

With a new national AI strategy forthcoming, the question is whether this government will use that opportunity to ask what role we want AI to play in mental health care—or whether it will settle for summoning tech executives to Ottawa and expressing disappointment. Sophie Nunnelley writes in the Hill Times.

What does it take to protect a key strategic asset—our health data—in an era of accelerating AI? This episode of the Digital Health podcast explores why data sovereignty is a strategic imperative for Canada, and the digital health future we stand to build—or lose. Featuring CHLPE's Dr. Kumanan Wilson and UO Faculty of Law's Professor Michael Geist.

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Applications are now open for our Summer Institute in Public Health Law, running June 1–5. This one-week (30-hour) online course equips you to understand and respond to key law and policy issues in public health. Grounded in accessible instruction, the program is designed for a wide range of attendees such as health professionals, administrators, public servants, researchers, lawyers, patient partners, and university students.
No legal experience is required.

Class size is limited, so we encourage you to apply soon!

From AI scribes for doctors to a new remedy for hot flashes, health science took big steps forward this year. Feat. CHLPE's Kumanan Wilson.

A longstanding issue with funding for scientific research in Canada has been selecting large scientific projects. Telescopes and particle accelerators come to mind. They are expensive and require long-term funding. Unfortunately, health and social data have largely been left out of the picture for big science research funding in Canada. The common phrase “data is the new oil” plus the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) reinforce the importance of data as critical infrastructure. This kind of infrastructure is just as important for economic growth as investments in ports and electricity generation. Michael Wolfson writes in Hospital News.

The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice and CHLPE released a report on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in Canada for Indigenous survivors of forced and coerced sterilization. Informed by the experiences of survivors, the report explores the availability of ART services across Canada that provide fertility assistance for survivors. The report reviews treatment options, costs, resources available in Canada, and Indigenous cultural safety. It also explores the availability of services in the U.S. and other countries. The Survivors Circle offers a Healing Support Fund for survivors of forced and coerced sterilization which includes funding up to $30,000 for ART services.

• Annual Conference – Mental Health Law
• Sophie Nunnelley to Join the Faculty of Law
• Lori Beaman Awarded Distinguished University Professor
• Jennifer Chandler Awarded Canada Research Chair
• Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference
• Roojin Habibi Defends Ph.D.
• Media (17)
• Academic Articles (21)
• Other (5)

Alzheimer’s disease is an insidious and relentless loss of memory and thinking, accompanied by a gradual yet devastating deterioration in ability to function independently. It’s a terrifying diagnosis for patients and families alike. Dementia is defined as a loss of memory or thinking, which takes away daily independence. Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain — proteins which begin as helpful yet become toxic as they accumulate. Alzheimer’s disease is therefore the cause, and dementia is the effect. Unfortunately, medical treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia have remained minimal for over 25 years, and with a growing aging population, Alzheimer’s disease has become one of the greatest unmet medical needs in the world. There is hope on the horizon. Andrew Frank & Katherine Pearson write in the Good Men Project.

We are pleased to announce the release today of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ report on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. This neurodevelopmental condition is a complex public health problem, and one that intersects with legal structures in important ways – from the system of child protection, to what forms of primary care and substance use care are funded and accessible, to the limitations of the criminal justice system as a response. CHLPE's Jennifer Chandler chaired a panel of experts over the past year and half, culminating in this extensive 400 page report. It integrates the results of literature and policy reviews as well as an exhaustive public and stakeholder outreach process. The Public Health Agency of Canada commissioned this report, in part to inform its response to a bill proposing a new governmental policy framework to respond to FASD.

Voting patterns in the 2019 and 2021 elections show significant differences in life expectancy depending on which party won the seat: shorter for constituents who elected a Conservative or NDP MP compared to Liberal-won ridings. Michael Wolfson writes in the Hill Times.

Graduate students from CHLPE and McGill are gathering April 28-29 for our jointly held annual graduate colloquium, held this year in Montreal. Students are presenting their research in panels on health rights and equity, public health concerns, emerging healthcare issues, and ethical and legal frameworks, chaired by CHLPE and McGill faculty. Students from Ottawa attending this year include Zainab Lawal, Joackim Tamale, Emmanuel Nwatu, Diana Urian, Veronica Vered, Shreya Nair, and Lauren Hancock. Every year this event fosters collaboration, mentorship, and critical discussion on pressing challenges in health law, policy, and ethics.

We are looking for an outstanding scholar from the U.S. to join the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics at the University of Ottawa, Canada for four months in 2026/27. We are the largest centre of our kind in Canada and one of the largest in the world. The chairholder will join our vibrant community of scholars, with the opportunity to interact with faculty and graduate students from law, social sciences, medicine, health sciences, management, and the arts. Our location in Canada's capital enables the chairholder to address issues of national and international significance and to network with leading policy makers and jurists.

Rosalie Ayotte is the recipient of the Graduate Award in Reproductive Health Law & Policy for 2025–26, jointly provided by the Shirley Greenberg Chair for Women and the Legal Profession and the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics (CHLPE). In the fall of 2025 she will begin her LL.M. at the University of Ottawa, supervised by CHLPE member, Professor Audrey Ferron Parayre. Rosalie’s research thesis will focus on obstetrical and gynecological violence (OGV), the mistreatment of women during childbirth including, for example, non-consented interventions such as Caesarean sections, disrespectful language, neglect, and discrimination. She will seek correlations between infringement of rights and healthcare documentation procedures currently in place in the province of Quebec. She will also look at the participation of women in the drafting process for policies and procedures, which is one key to minimizing the incidence of OGV.

Newly released by the University of Ottawa Press, this book edited by CHLPE Director Vanessa Gruben together with Chelsea Cox explores how different approaches to harm reduction can create a stronger foundation for more effective policies and legislation. Scholars from law and social sciences collaborate with frontline organizations as well as with individuals with lived experience to reflect diverse perspectives, and transform how society addresses substance-related challenges ranging across opioids, cannabis, and tobacco.

After leading the world through a global pandemic for more than three years, the World Health Organization is under fire again... Roojin Habibi writes in Hill Times.

What do MGM Studios, Uber, eBay, Moderna, Tesla, Space X and OpenAI have in common? They are successful American companies that have helped change the world and Canadians have played a critical role in their success—in many instances as founders or co-founders. But these connections are not a point of pride for Canada or even widely known. Canadians are great innovators, but our country seldom benefits directly from their efforts. That’s something we urgently need to correct... Kumanan Wilson & Dante Morra write in Policy Options.

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, is looking to fill a tenure-track position in the Common Law Section for July 1, 2025. Priority will be given to those with expertise and research interest in criminal law or health law. The application deadline is March 10, 2025. Click for more information.

The Centre for Health Law, Policy, and Ethics (CHLPE) is offering two prestigious scholarships of $10,000 each to support LL.M. students whose research focuses on reproduction and health law, including issues like access to abortion, contraception, fertility care, coercive sterilization, assisted reproduction, and obstetrical violence. Deadline February 15. Click for more information.

The University of Ottawa Faculty of Law is now accepting applications for both LL.M. and Ph.D. in Law programs. At the Masters level it also offers a specific LL.M. Concentration in Health Law, Policy and Ethics. At both levels we offer graduate students a wide range of cutting-edge research projects led by the largest concentration of health law scholars and complemented by the broadest selection of health law courses in Canada. See also our Opportunities page for scholarships and bursaries currently on offer.

CHLPE and the Bruyère Health Research Institute have established a multi-year strategic partnership to promote the advancement of health, technology, and human learning through collaboration focused on their shared areas of research.

For the first time, a new study has estimated life expectancy across neighbourhoods in Canada’s largest cities – the first in Canada to drill down below the levels of provinces and cities to census tracts, the smallest level of geography that can support estimates of life expectancy. The results are disturbing. Read an op ed by CHLPE's Michael Wolfson in the Globe & Mail...

• Sophie Nunnelley Departs as Associate Director to Join the Lincoln Alexander School of Law as Faculty
• Happy Retirement to Professor Martha Jackman
• Obstetric and Gynecological Violence: Empowering Patients to Recognize and Prevent It
• Dying With Dignity
• Summer Institute in Health Law
• New uOttawa-France Science Diplomacy Research Chair to Tackle Global Health and Security
• Nonreligion in a Complex Future
• Canadian Health Workforce Conference (CHWC) 2024
• The World Together in Pandemic Preparedness and Response
• Jennifer Chandler Wins the I.N.S. Hyman Award
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Assessment
• Karen Eltis Wins the Mundell Medal
• Canada’s Pandemic Preparedness Investments Still Make Equity An Afterthought
• Welcome to Fulbright Visiting Scholar Katherine Pearson

Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to use the notwithstanding clause to enact criminal justice reform if elected.  Liberals have pointed to this as an indication that Conservatives would use it for other things, including restricting abortion. How much of this is political posturing from either side? How huge a precedent would using the notwithstanding clause this way represent? CHLPE's Daphne Gilbert on The Big Story podcast.