Programming & Events

Upcoming events

Wednesday, April 19, 7pm - Dental Care in Canada

Join us as we co-host a discussion with the Coalition for Dental Care to explore the challenges and possibilities in Canada’s dental care system.

We are excited to welcome Mary Otto, Dr. Paul Allison, and Dr. Hasan Sheikh as our panellists for the evening! The discussion will be moderated by Brandon Doucet, the founder of "Coalition for Dentalcare". To register, click here.

Thursday, April 27, 8pm - "Privatization" - What does it mean for health care in Canada?

Whenever health care is in the news, we inevitably hear about “privatization”. But what does that term really mean in the context of health care in Canada?

At Canadian Doctors for Medicare, we want to look at both how health care is financed (be it publicly-funded services or paid out-of-pocket by patients) and where that care is delivered (in public, non-profit, or shareholder-owned for-profit facilities).

We’re asking: how do private financing and for-profit ownership structures impact patients’ access to care and our health care system more broadly?

How can we work together to uphold a public health care system that is there for everyone when they need it and where no one is forced to pay for timely access to medically necessary care?

Join us for a lively discussion about the future of public health care in Canada.

This webinar is a part of the 2023 #BetterMedicare Webinar series.

Regular programming

Better Medicare Webinar Series

Over the past two years, CDM has hosted a number of webinars on a variety of health policy topics ranging from the Cambie case to pharmacare. These discussions are a great opportunity to bring our members and supporters together to hear from policy experts on important issues related to the future of public health care in Canada.

In 2022 we re-launched our webinar series under the banner of "Better Medicare". These events are free and open to the public and occur every other month.

Health Justice Book Club

CDM's Health Justice Book Club (HJBC) was formed to create a space for CDM members to come together to discuss equity and justice in health policy in Canada, and to explore ways to apply an anti-oppression lens to CDM’s work.

Past meetings of the book club have discussed the following books and their broader themes:

Fighting for a Hand to Hold: Confronting Medical Colonialism Against Indigenous Children in Canada by Dr. Samir Shaheen-Hussain
The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole
The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
Structures of Indifference: An Indigenous Life and Death in a Canadian City by Mary Jane Logan McCallum and Adele Perry

If you are interested in helping to organize a future HJBC meeting or have a book suggestion, please contact Zareef Ahmad, our Membership and Community Engagement Coordinator.

Past webinars and events

Below is a listing and description of some of our past webinars and events. For other CDM videos and recordings visit our YouTube channel (don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on future videos!)

Climate and Health

Thursday, June 23, 2022

CDM board member Andriy Katyukha hosted this discussion on the impacts of climate change on our health, the relationship between our public health care system and the climate crisis, and how we can advocate for change. Panellists included Dr. Samantha Green (board member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment), Dylan Penner (Climate and Social Justice Campaigner at the Council of Canadians), and Courtney Howard, an Emergency Physician in Yellowknife.

Recording coming soon!

Cambie, Chaoulli, and the impact on Medicare

Tuesday, April 24th, 2022

Along with our friends at Médecins québécois pour le régime public (MQRP), we were proud to host this webinar to discuss two of the most important legal battles that Canada’s public health care system has faced and their impacts on Medicare. This event was organized by medical students and residents at McGill University who are part of MQRP and CDM’s Trainee Network. The event was moderated by Sidrah Laldin, a member of CDM’s Trainee Network at McGill, and Élise Girouard-Chantal from MQRP. The two expert panellists were Karen Palmer and Marie-Claude Prémont.

Recording coming soon!

Better Medicare: expanding access to health care to people who are currently uninsured or without status

Thursday, April 21st, 2022

This discussion was moderated by CDM Vice-Chair of Communications Dr. Bernard Ho. The panel featured Dr. Michaela Beder, Stacey Gomez and Omar Chu. The recording is not available at this time.

What should the Future of LTC in Canada look like?

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Panellists included CDM board member Dr. Amit Ariya, Dr. Tamara Daly and Andrew Longhurst.