Forget-Me-Not: Health Care and Politics

To celebrate Canada150, we’re turning the page on the most celebrated historical moments and highlighting the footnotes for a change. Take a trip down literary lane with us as we share books on aspects of Canadian history and notable people that don’t always get due attention. We spoke with Publisher Simon Dardick at Véhicule Press about Health Care and Politics:ALU: What brought you to publish Health Care and Politics?SD: If we were to describe what kind of publishing we do, in a nutshell, we would say that we publish literature in the context of social history. In other words, we publish poetry, fiction and other literary genres plus books that seek to explain or document the society we live in. Health Care and Politics: An Insider’s View on Managing and Sustaining Health Care in Canada by David Levine is an example of the latter. Accessible, public, and universal health care is one of the foundational aspects of our country, and the author believes in it without qualification. And so do we. We hope that by publishing this book we can provide relevant information to policy makers and the general public and contribute to the discussion around this important issue.ALU: What impact do you think this work has on Canadian culture/society/history?SD: In all the provincial governments, the health care budget is the largest. The health care system is steered by the minister—a politician—and not health care professionals. Decisions are made on a political basis and sometimes best solutions are not implemented. We hope that the author’s proposals on how to fix the health care system will resonate in a positive way to make it work more effectively.***Thanks to Simon Dardick at Véhicule Press for answering our questions!Remember, if you purchase Health Care and Politics or any other Forget-Me-Not feature title we’ll send you a snazzy poster calendar.Follow along with us on the blog, Twitter,  Facebook, and  Instagram with #ALUneverforget as we book-hop through the centuries, and take a peek at our history timeline for more books that bring footnotes in Canadian history to the fore.