FEWO Committee Report

Dissenting Report re Eating Disorder Study- FEWO

In the summer of 2014, a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information was released proving that the rates of hospitalization for girls aged 10-19 has increased by 42 percent in just two years. Throughout the study of eating disorders at the Standing Committee for the Status of Women, the testimony has revealed that the prevalence and severity of this disease is on the rise in Canada for both women and men. Yet, treatment and prevention for eating disorders is badly underfunded, resulting in lack of awareness, under-diagnosis and unacceptable wait times for treatment. Too often these circumstances result in unnecessary fatalities. New Democrats are concerned that eating disorder treatment in Canada is in a state of crisis and believe that action is required. 

Absence of Federal Leadership

Recognizing that jurisdiction over health care delivery is primarily a provincial responsibility, New Democrats believe that the federal government should work collaboratively with provincial and territorial governments to protect and expand our public and universal health care system. Our study revealed that almost no federal leadership is taken on behalf of the victims of eating disorders. No department or agency directs funding to awareness, prevention or treatment. Minimal funding, through the Canadian Institute for Health Research, has been provided for two research projects since 2006. In fact, so little federal initiative is taken that government departments and agencies were reluctant to appear before the committee, and had almost nothing to report during their testimony. It is clear that more can and must be done to improve access and supports for those suffering with eating disorders, the health care professionals who treat them, as well as the family members who care for them. New Democrats recommend that the federal government work with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, patients, and relevant organizations to increase and improve resources dedicated to eating disorder treatment and awareness. 

Gender based marginalization of women’s health

New Democrats are concerned that the lack of resources dedicated towards eating disorders when compared with other illnesses that have similar rates of fatality could reveal the lack of targeted programs for women within the health care sector and society at large. We heard from Dr. Blake Woodside, a leader physician in the treatment of eating disorders and one of the committee’s witnesses, who is quoted as saying: “If anorexia was an illness of middle aged men, there’d be a clinic in every hospital in this country but because it’s a psychiatric illness of young women it’s discriminated against.”

The Conservative Government has shown its callous disregard for women’s health on several occasions. In 2012 the Conservatives slashed all funding for the Women’s Health Contribution Program (WHCP), thereby abolishing a potential source of funding support earmarked for diseases that afflict mostly women, such as eating disorders. As another example, in April 2012, The Minister for Health chose to unilaterally end funding directed towards Aboriginal women’s health programs. New Democrats call for the government of Canada to reverse these cuts and take further actions through Health Canada, The Status of Women Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada to ensure that women’s health benefits from adequate resource allocation, research initiatives, program funding and awareness campaigns.   

Recommendation 18 is of particular concern to New Democrats. It encourages provincial and territorial governments to pay for the costs of treatments in the United States. Conservatives have cut billions in funding for health care services thereby forcing provinces to do more with less. It is reprehensible to consider encouraging provinces to send patients abroad, after such devastating cuts. These services must be available in Canadian communities. We need to work with provinces and territories to ensure that they have the resources they need to provide high quality and accessible care for eating disorders.

Furthermore, there is an acknowledged relationship between poor body image, harmful societal messaging and eating disorders. Several witnesses spoke with grave concern about multibillion dollar industries that prey on the insecurities and self-hatred of young girls and women. As well, it was recommended that federal healthy eating campaigns be updated to avoid the unintended outcomes of “fat shaming” young girls and boys who subsequently develop eating disorders.  Media literacy must be integrated into education practices and be inclusive of racialized communities and Indigenous communities.  New Democrats believe that the federal government must take a strong leadership role through the Status of Women Agency to address the root causes of eating disorders and gender inequality.

Conservatives Fail to Act on Mental Health

Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses with extremely high mortality rates. However, as with all mental health disorders, the lack of government attention, combined with other factors like stigma, has isolated patients with eating disorders, and very few sufferers receive mental health services in Canada. The government’s own Mental Health Commission created a Mental Health Strategy for Canada in 2012. The Conservative government has yet to fully implement its recommendations.  New Democrats ask the government to take immediate action to implement the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s 2012 Mental Health Strategy and to follow the six strategic directions that have been identified by the Strategy.

No Access. No Awareness

A complete lack of targeted, community based awareness, prevention and treatment for eating disorders was identified by several committee witnesses. Eating disorders afflict people from all ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic classes.  Yet no services are geared towards Indigenous peoples, radicalized minorities, new immigrants or the LGBTQ community. Accessible treatment must be made available to all people in Canada regardless of identity or class. New Democrats recommend that all awareness, prevention and treatment programs be created with an awareness of the specific cultural needs of all minorities in Canada in collaboration with those communities with targeted outreach.

Too few resources exist for eating disorders outside of major urban centers in Canada. Particularly for lower income women or parents with small children this fact makes seeking treatment nearly impossible. No treatment facilities exist in northern regions, Labrador or PEI. Access to health care is an essential service. New Democrats recommend that the federal government work in collaboration with provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to ensure that eating disorder services be made available in northern remote and rural regions as well as in all provinces.