Module 7. Healthy Public Policy

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to

distinguish between the different levels and types of health-related policies;
recognize the key actors in the health policy-making process at the federal and provincial level and their roles in the formulation of policy;
describe key milestones in healthy public policy, including taxation, regulation and fiscal measures, and how these policies improved the health and well-being of Canadians;
articulate the importance of taxation as a key policy lever for improving population health;
describe the three key counter-arguments to the implementation of healthy public policies used by industry and other vested interests.

Course Reserves can be accessed using the Library Resources widget on the Course Home page.

7a. What is “Policy” and Why Does it Matter For Population Health?
Course Reserve: Shankardass, K., Hemsing, C., & Greaves, L. (2017). Health in all policies. In I. Rootman, A. Pederson, K.L. Frohlich, & S. Dupéré (Eds.), Health Promotion in Canada: New Perspectives on Theory, Research and Practice (4th ed., pp. 343–356). Toronto: Canadian Scholars.
Course Reserve: Brownson, R.C., Seiler, R., & Eyler, A.A. (2010). Measuring the impact of public health policy. Preventing Chronic Disease, 7(4), A77.
Course Reserve: Raphael, D. & Curry-Stevens, A. (2016). Surmounting the barriers: Making action on the social determinants of health a public policy priority. In D. Raphael (Ed.), Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives (3rd ed., pp. 561–583). Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Course Reserve: McKinlay, J.B. & Marceau, L.D. (2000). Upstream healthy public policy: Lessons from the battle of tobacco. International Journal of Health Services, 30(1), 49–69.
Course Reserve: Morestin, F. (2017). The advisors of policy makers: Who are they, how do they handle scientific knowledge and what can we learn about how to share such knowledge with them? Knowledge Sharing and Public Policy Series. Montréal and Québec, Canada: National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy.
Course Reserve: Smith, K. E., Fooks, G., Collin, J., Weishaar, H., & Gilmore, A.B. (2010). Is the increasing policy use of Impact Assessment in Europe likely to undermine efforts to achieve healthy public policy?. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 64(6), 478–487.