The New Reality: October 8

Editor’s note: In Jan. 2023, Lester Landry, an advocate in this story, was arrested in Medicine Hat. Read the latest update here: shorturl.at/mwBFG . It’s estimated more than 4 in 10 Canadians living in poverty are people with disabilities and provincial support rates are so low advocates call it “legislated poverty.” Then, last year, the federal government expanded eligibility for medically assisted dying to people who were not terminally ill, something critics warned could result in unnecessary deaths. On this week’s episode of The New Reality, Marianne Dimain reports on how many disabled Canadians who now qualify for that program say it’s the only way they can see an escape from the cycle of pain and poverty. Plus, the first Indigenous leader of the Canadian Medical Association is now on the job. But as the President of the largest group representing doctors in this country, Dr. Alika Lafontaine has his work cut out for him. The anesthesiologist from Grande Prairie, Alta. has spent much of his 20-year career helping marginalized Canadians navigate the health-care system and advocating for their care. Neetu Garcha speaks with Dr. Lafontaine about Canada’s collapsing health-care system, and other barriers to accessing care.