Honourable senators, it is with immense sadness that I speak to deplore the end of the Women’s Health Contribution Program.
The program supported community-academic partnerships in the development and dissemination of policy research and information for women’s health. The program was managed by the Bureau of Women’s Health and Gender Analysis. Let us not forget that clinical drug trials are now done separately for men and women, which is something new that began a few years ago. The program contributed approximately $2.95 million annually to eligible recipients. It supported the Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health, Canadian Women’s Health Network, working groups and other initiatives that address specific policy issues in women’s health. The following organizations received support for their research: the Réseau québécois d’action pour la santé des femmes, the Canadian Women’s Health Network, the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence, and the National Network on Environments and Women’s Health, located across the country from Vancouver to Halifax. (more…)