A Nova Scotia Liberal MLA may have stirred up a tempest in a teapot when he took to social media to link Nova Scotians’ lifestyle choices to issues being faced by the health-system.
Chester-St. Margaret’s MLA Hugh MacKay said things like smoking, too much alcohol, poor diet and our sedentary lifestyles are creating issues for a government that’s finding it hard to balance the health budget while fixing roads and having enough money to meet the growing demand in the education system and community services.
It didn’t take long for MacKay to face a backlash from both opposition parties, which said they are both disappointed the MLA would blame Nova Scotians for the province’s health care woes.
The Liberal MLA hasn’t spoken publicly about his ill-advised comments, but he was quick to take to Facebook to offer an apology. Fact is he failed to talk about a lot of the social determinants of health that community health boards, physicians and officials with Health and Wellness have been talking about for years.
It’s hard for many Nova Scotians to remain healthy. We have an aging population, poverty is not getting any better and too many folks are left wondering how long their job will last, how they can afford to put food on the table and where they can find affordable housing.
Organizations like Cumberland County’s three community health boards, Empowering Beyond Barriers and the Cumberland YMCA have been tackling ways to combat poverty. They’ve made some gains, but the work is never-ending and it has to be frustrating to have a politician pull the rug out from under them with comments that may appear insensitive.
However, before we condemn MacKay’s comments – as poorly directed as they were, there is some truth to what he is saying, even if it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Countless health experts have commented in the past that quitting smoking, cutting back on alcohol and getting active will play a positive role in helping Nova Scotians become healthier.
That’s why communities such as Amherst are doing everything they can to promote healthy living. Amherst recently passed an active transportation plan that promotes its extensive trail system and it has placed bike lanes on several town streets. It has bicycles at town hall that it can lend to people wanting to use two wheels to get around instead of four and it has supported an equipment lending program that includes both winter and summer activities.
Saying that, it’s imperative for government to do its part by working with its federal and municipal partners to tackle those social determinants of health. Help people find affordable housing, fully support food banks and supporting a living wage that allows people to escape the cycle of poverty that often swallows families without offering any hope of rising above the poverty line and succeeding.
Only then will Nova Scotians begin to move toward better health, lessening demands on a stretched health-care system and maybe, just maybe, investing money in the other priorities we expect our government to address.
