LETTER: Dementia isn’t a national ‘emergency’ in Canada

LETTER: Dementia isn’t a national ‘emergency’ in Canada

Published 7:00 am Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Editor,

Re: Talk radio host urges dementia declared national emergency

Ivan Scot wants the federal government to declare that dementia is a national emergency, and to establish a cross-party dementia task force.

Formally declaring an emergency is a legal mechanism usually reserved for immediate threats like pandemics or natural disasters. Applying it to a chronic, progressive condition like dementia is a strategic “rebranding” rather than a functional policy change.

Mr. Scott’s demand for a “cross-party task force” ignores the National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act (2017) and the Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia which already serve this purpose. His proposal assumes a lack of structure where one actually exists.

The federal and B.C. governments provide many resources and services to prevent and cope with dementia. To learn more, ask your doctor or search online for ‘Canada government dementia’ and ‘B.C. government dementia.’

David Purser, Surrey