A healthy society : how a focus on health can revive Canadian democracy

Summary: Through a mix of scholarship and story, the author proposes a new approach to politics. The use of human health as a measure of our success as a society appeals beyond political lines to common values. By synthesizing diverse ideas into a plan for action based in the lived experiences of practitioners and patients, A Healthy Society breaks important ground in the renewal of politics toward the goal of better lives for all Canadians. Income, education, employment, housing, the wider environment, and social supports: far more than the actions of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers, it is these determinants of health that make the greatest difference in our health. Brought to life by the stories of patient experiences, A Healthy Society explores a number of specific health determinants, and ends in a discussion of democratic reforms that could help reshape the way we organize ourselves to create a truly healthy society.