Nov 30, 2023

Advocacy

The past year has been a busy year for the CCA’s Public Affairs team. In 2023, we have met with 43 Members of Parliament, senators, bureaucrats, and policy makers, where we engaged in great conversations and lobbied on our strategic priorities, such as:

• Chiropractors to be included on the list of Qualified Health Professionals Accepted for Veterans Affairs Canada Disability Program. The inclusion of chiropractors in this program will benefit the profession in further recognizing the skills, education, training, and expertise of the profession within Veterans Affairs Canada.
• The extension of the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to extend the loan repayment deadline. This would give chiropractic clinics and small business owners extra time to repay the loan while protecting the $20,000 forgivable portion of CEBA.
• The expansion the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program to include chiropractors. This aims to help incentivize DCs to move and practice in rural and remote communities, serve marginalized populations, and ease the burden on the current health human resources (HHR) crisis.
• The inclusion of chiropractors as signatories of the Disability Tax Credit.
• The re-inclusion of chiropractic care under the Non-Insurable Health Benefits program.
• The inclusion of chiropractic care under the Interim Federal Health program for refugees and asylum seekers.
• The CCA continues to advocate for the government to remove a physician’s referral requirement for members of the Canadian Armed forces, as well as remove the 10-visit cap, making chiropractic care more accessible for our men and women in uniform.

The CCA had the honour of assisting in the development of the newly formed Indigenous Chiropractic Caucus (ICC). The official signing ceremony of the Terms of Reference was held in Ottawa on November 27 and the following day was dedicated to advocacy for the re-inclusion of chiropractic care under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program. The ICC’s mandate is to bring the Canadian Indigenous chiropractic community together to help address the health inequity faced by Indigenous peoples across Canada, promote chiropractic as a viable option for NMSK health and as a career of choice among young Indigenous peoples.

The CCA and ICC had a busy day involving an appearance before the Parliamentary Press Gallery which was live streamed to news networks across the country, as well as in every MP, Minister, and senator’s office. The ICC Co-Chair, Dr. Jennifer Ward, had an interview with Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) about the newly formed caucus. Following the Parliamentary Press Gallery event, a ceremony to sign the Terms of Reference agreement was performed where there was an opportunity to smudge followed by a beautiful opening blessing from Elder Claudette Commanda. Remarks were made by the CCA, ICC, and parliamentarians. The day ended off with a celebratory reception, and both events had CCA members from across the country, as well as various Parliamentarians, senators, and Elders in attendance.

November 28 was a busy day of advocacy, where we participated in 12 meetings across party lines with Parliamentarians on the re-inclusion of chiropractic care under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program. This included meetings with:

• The Indigenous Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, in the Prime Ministers office;
• The Honourable Ed Fast;
• MP Lori Idlout;
• MP Franceso Sorbara;
• MP Taleeb Noormohamed;
• MP Kody Blois;
• MP Ted Falk;
• MP Niki Ashton;
• MP Churence Rogers;
• MP Fraser Tolmie;
• MP Robert Kitchen; and
• Parliamentary assistant to MP Marc Dalton.

The CCA also initiated its first grassroots advocacy campaign this past summer. We recruited CCA members from across the country to meet with their Members of Parliament and establish localized personal connections with all MPs, with a targeted focus on future strategically important individuals across party lines.

In June, Dr. Ayla Azad, CCA CEO, appeared before the Standing Committee on National Defense during their study on Canadian Armed Forces Health and Transition Services. The CCA has been advocating for greater accessibility to chiropractic care for CAF members, including removing the requirement of a referral to access care, and removing the cap on the number of treatments a CAF member can access. Dr. Azad presented a five-minute opening statement, then participated in a question-and-answer period alongside other organizations. As a result of this appearance, the CCA has received requests for meetings from MP offices and their constituents.

In addition, the CCA Public Affairs team has filed six submissions to consultations by the Standing Committee on Finance, the Standing Committee on National Defence, the Standing Committee on Health, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, the National Seniors Council, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Insurance

The CCA has been pursuing a long-term national insurance strategy to educate and enhance our relationships with insurance providers and to protect, and ideally expand chiropractic coverage for Canadians.

To Increase awareness and understanding of the chiropractic profession and dispel misinformation to employers, insurance providers and employees, the CCA launched a campaign through the Canadian HR Reporter, to promote the burden of NMSK conditions in the workplace. The campaign consisted of a channel sponsorship which allowed the CCA to publish two articles per month for three months. This sponsorship included targeted advertising and branding on the HR Reporter website and we published an issue paper which was distributed to their subscribers. The campaign reached over 7,000 readers and the white paper was downloaded by 140 companies. More importantly, the CCA sponsored the Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey, which is a widely cited and read report among employers, insurance providers, HR professionals, and advisors. As sponsors, the CCA was able to include questions about pain, workplace injuries, and paramedical coverage levels. The survey results bolster our advocacy efforts to educate and inform key decision makers of the prevalence and impact of NMSK conditions in the workplace.

In 2023, the CCA promoted the value of chiropractic care to insurers and employers. Dr. Azad was invited to participate in a panel discussion at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Canada – Annual Conference. They discussed how employee health benefits and healthcare services, like chiropractic care, can help reduce opioid dependency and how chiropractic care can treat work related NMSK conditions. The CCA presented at the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s Claims and Anti-Fraud Conference where we had an opportunity to directly communicate with insurance providers, advisors, and HR professionals. We highlighted the fact that benefits maximums for some paramedical service, like chiropractic care, have not changed in the past 30 years and how chiropractic care can help decrease employer costs. The CCA also participated in the Pathways and Northwinds conferences where we outlined the benefits of chiropractic care to employers, and insurance industry CEOs. To reach employees, the CCA organized four lunch and learns in 2023 with national employers outlining the benefits of chiropractic care and how the profession can assist in treating and preventing workplace injuries.

The CCA continues to build on current relationships with leading insurance companies and leverage these relationships to address concerns like orthotics, audits, billing practices and other issues of interest of our members. We have met with Green Shield Canada, Medavie Blue Cross, Desjardins, and Manulife to discuss various issues of interest.

The CCA Public Affairs team will continue to advocate for key issues of interest to the federal government and the insurance industry. Our goal is to advance the profession within the Canadian healthcare system and promote the benefits of chiropractic care to employees, employers, HR professionals, and insurance companies.