In this edition, we focus on rising health challenges for women, mounting workforce gaps, and widespread fiscal concerns. This week highlighted the profound interconnection between politics, productivity, and public health nationwide.
Political Survival, Healthcare Investments, and the “Buy Canadian” Push
The Liberal government narrowly survived its second confidence vote on Friday, defeating a Bloc Québécois motion aimed at rejecting the federal budget with support from Conservative MPs, highlighting turbulence in the Conservative caucus amid recent floor-crossings and resignations, while the Liberals remain two votes short of a majority to pass the budget on their own.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney’s federal budget, calling its projected $78.3 billion deficit the largest ever outside of COVID-19 and arguing that new spending and bureaucracies create obstacles for businesses and homebuilders. He also outlined a free-market agenda, including eliminating the industrial carbon price, reducing red tape, and supporting stablecoin frameworks that promote competition.
Poilievre’s Conservatives are struggling to stay united, with defections, resignations, and abstentions highlighting growing dissatisfaction within the caucus during a turbulent budget week, raising questions about his leadership as the Liberals survived a second confidence vote.
NDP MP Gord Johns expressed confidence that none of the party’s seven MPs will cross the floor to support the Liberals, despite recruitment attempts. Meanwhile, Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer denied pressuring MPs to stay in caucus and blamed Liberal tactics for recent defections and resignations.
At the heart of Budget 2025, Carney announced $186 million in new funding under Budget 2025 to fully implement the Buy Canadian Policy, aimed at strengthening domestic industries, supply chains, and small and medium-sized businesses through federal procurement, including major infrastructure, housing, defence, and community projects, directing as much as $70 billion in public investment toward Canadian-made materials, products, and services.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will join an armchair discussion with Greater Vancouver Board of Trade President Bridgitte Anderson on November 12 to outline key measures from Budget 2025, focusing on the government’s plan to “spend less to invest more” through generational investments aimed at building the strongest economy in the G7.
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said the Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund in Budget 2025 will create good jobs and strengthen Canada’s leadership in defence, technology, and healthcare, securing long-term economic growth through investment in critical resource development.
Carney also outlined Budget 2025 measures aimed at mobilizing $1 trillion in total investments over five years, addressing flat business investment, low productivity, and global economic uncertainty through targeted tax incentives, major infrastructure projects, talent attraction, and strengthened competition. These measures, including the Productivity Super-Deduction, enhanced SR&ED credits, and accelerated nation-building projects, are designed to reduce obstacles for businesses and homebuilders, spur private investment, and drive long-term growth, jobs, and innovation across Canada.
In addition to this, Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced that the 2025 budget will invest $5 billion to build and modernize hospitals, medical schools, and clinics to strengthen the healthcare system for Quebecers and all Canadians.
Pharmascience welcomed the federal budget for its focus on strengthening Canadian pharmaceutical resilience, productivity, and innovation, highlighting measures such as the “Buy Canadian” policy, enhanced research incentives, and support for dual-use technologies. The company emphasized the importance of preserving Health Canada’s drug assessment capacity and implementing agile regulations to ensure local manufacturers can drive national health security and economic growth.
Diabetes Canada welcomed the federal budget for its commitment to protecting pharmacare, advancing research, and improving health outcomes for Canadians with diabetes. The organization highlighted the need for a national Diabetes Device Access Fund to ensure equitable access to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems across the country.
The National Institute on Ageing reported that the federal budget reaffirmed support for older adults by maintaining funding for pharmacare, the Canadian Dental Care Program, Old Age Security, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, while introducing a temporary tax credit for personal support workers. However, it offered no new initiatives for unpaid caregivers, vaccine access, or expansion of housing and income supports, and proposed changes to the Home Accessibility Tax Credit may reduce benefits for some older Canadians.
MP Mandy Gull Masty announced that the federal budget includes a comprehensive assessment of healthcare and infrastructure needs in northern communities to improve access and reduce medical travel costs.
Health Workforce Gaps and Women’s Well-being
According to the report of Sun Life Financial, cancer rates among Canadian women under 50 are now nearly double those of men in the same age group, driven largely by a 45.5% increase in breast cancer rates among women aged 20 to 29 over the past 30 years. These trends are mirrored in disability claims, with women reporting a greater share of cancer-related disability claims compared to men.
Mental health remains a significant concern, with Sun Life data showing 45% of women’s disability claims are related to mental health disorders, compared to 33% for men. Barriers such as cost, transportation, and childcare exacerbate these mental health access issues. In addition to cancer and mental health issues, women are three times more likely to experience migraines than men, significantly affecting absenteeism and productivity in the workplace.
Experts are calling for employer-level interventions, including flexible schedules, virtual care access, and group benefits covering cancer drugs and mental health services. But without national coordination, the burden continues to fall on individual workers and institutions.
That’s why Delphic Research will host a high-level virtual dialogue titled “Mission Critical: Health Human Resources in a Time of Scarcity” on December 3, 2025. The session will bring together four national leaders with experience spanning government, healthcare regulation, community-based care, and patient advocacy.
The event will be moderated by Mark Smithyes, Director of Life Sciences at Delphic Research, and Board Director at Life Sciences Ontario. Speakers will include former Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman, workforce expert Brad Sinclair, strategic advisor Janine Hopkins, and patient advocate Justin Brown. Framed around the idea that health workforce challenges are now the single most consequential issue in Canadian healthcare, the panel addressed how communities, institutions, and governments must rethink recruitment, retention, and working conditions.
Canada’s Global Research Edge
Despite domestic pressure, Canada continues to lead in neonatal and health science innovation. Dr. Prakesh Shah, a pediatrician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital, played a central role in the development of neonatal research through initiatives like the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN), the International Network for Evaluating Outcomes of Neonates (iNEO), and the Canadian Preterm Birth Network (CPTBN). These networks have significantly improved outcomes for preterm infants, with survival rates for babies born between 23 and 32 weeks increasing from 56% to 70% between 2004 and 2017.
In parallel, the appointment of leading scientists at the ICES Research Institute underscores Canada’s dedication to advancing health research across various domains. These scientists, including Dr. John Michael Gamble, Dr. Shannon Fernando, Dr. June Lam, and Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw, bring expertise in areas like drug safety, critical care, mental health, and strengthening health systems. Collectively, their work emphasizes innovative, data-driven health research aimed at improving patient outcomes and healthcare equity.
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