Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare Biographies

Biographies

Eric Hoskins, Chair

Dr. Hoskins served in the Ontario government as Minister of Health and Long-Term Care from June 2014 to February 2018. He was previously Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment, Minister of Children and Youth Services, and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Dr. Hoskins represented the riding of St. Paul’s as Member of Provincial Parliament from 2009-2018.

Dr. Hoskins is a renowned humanitarian, physician, public health specialist, and a proud Canadian with a long and dedicated record of public service.

After finishing his medical studies at McMaster University, and subsequently at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Hoskins spent nearly a decade as a doctor and humanitarian in war-torn regions in Africa and around the world. From 1997 to 2000, he served as senior policy advisor to then Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy on issues such as human rights, child soldiers, peacekeeping and the landmines ban.

He and his wife, Dr. Samantha Nutt, founded the international charity War Child Canada to help hundreds of thousands of children in war-affected regions across the globe. Dr. Hoskins was also Advisor to the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict at the United Nations.

Dr. Hoskins has been recognized for his humanitarian work and public service. In 2008, he was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He has also received the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Cross, and has been awarded the United Nations Lester B. Pearson Peace Medal.

Mia Homsy, Vice-Chair

Ms. Homsy is Director General of the Institut du Québec, a socio-economic research institute stemming from a partnership between the Conference Board of Canada and HEC Montréal. As part of this organization, Ms. Homsy assists in guiding the development of better public policies in Quebec, particularly with respect to competitiveness and economic development.

Ms. Homsy has previously worked as a political attaché in the office of the Minister of Economic Development of Quebec, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Montreal region. Ms. Homsy has also held the positions of political advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff in the offices of the Minister of Finance of Quebec and the Minister of Revenue of Quebec.

Ms. Homsy is a graduate of International Studies from the Université de Montréal and holds a Master’s in International Management from HEC Montréal. 

Nadine Caron

Dr. Caron currently resides in Prince George, British Columbia, where she provides surgical oncology care for those that call rural and remote Canada home. Dr. Caron is also Co-Director of the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health and an Associate Professor of the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Surgery where she teaches in the Northern Medical Program.

Dr. Caron has served on numerous committees including the Rural Surgery Committee of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons, the Board of Directors of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Dr. Caron holds an undergraduate degree from Simon Fraser University in kinesiology and a medical degree from UBC. During her surgical residency, she completed a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University and was awarded UBC's Top Student Award.    

Vincent Dumez

Mr. Dumez is Co-director of the Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public (CEPPP) at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement.

Suffering from severe chronic diseases for more than three decades, Mr. Dumez has been actively involved in the promotion of the ‘patient partner’ concept. This involvement has come forward through his work on various boards of community organizations and his involvement as a speaker in national and international forums addressed to healthcare professionals.

Mr. Dumez has worked on numerous projects related to patient engagement for institutions such as the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec, the Institutes of Health Research in Canada, and the National Institute for Excellence in Health and Social Services.

Mr. Dumez holds a finance degree and a Master’s in Science of Management from HEC Montréal.

Camille Orridge

Ms. Orridge is a Senior Fellow at Wellesley Institute, a research and policy organization that seeks to improve health and health equity in the Greater Toronto Area.

Ms. Orridge is a passionate advocate for social change and health equity. While at the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network, Ms. Orridge launched Language Services Toronto, a telephone interpretation service for non-English speaking patients of Toronto’s hospitals. As Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre, she also worked to better serve Toronto’s aging and diverse population through strengthening the community health sector.

In 2012, Ms. Orridge was among the top 25 Women of Influence in Health and in 2011, she was awarded the Health Equity Council Woman of Distinction Award. In 2014, she received the Excellence in Medicine Award from the African Canadian Achievement Awards.

Ms. Orridge holds a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Toronto.

Diana Whalen

Hon. Whalen lived in Korea, Australia and Jamaica for eight years in her early career.

Hon. Whalen was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Halifax Clayton Park in 2003. She was re-elected in 2006, 2009, and again in 2013.

Hon. Whalen was Deputy Premier of Nova Scotia from 2013 to 2017.

Hon. Whalen has also served as Nova Scotia’s Minister of Finance and Treasury Board, the Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, the Minister responsible for the Utility and Review Board Act and as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. She also worked as a management consultant and is a former Halifax Regional Municipality Councillor.

In 2009, Hon. Whalen received the Women of Distinction Award by the Cornwallis Progress Club for her work in the community.

Hon. Whalen holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s in Business Administration, both from Dalhousie University. She also holds the professional designation CPA,CMA.

John Wright

Mr. Wright is a former Deputy Minister of Health and Deputy Minister of Finance for the Government of Saskatchewan.

Mr. Wright has 35 years of public-sector experience. In April 1995, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Saskatchewan Government Insurance and in July 1996 became President and Chief Executive Officer of Crown Investments Corporation. Mr. Wright has also served as President of SaskPower.

In 2010, Mr. Wright was selected as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Mr. Wright holds an Honours Bachelor in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Alberta. He is presently a lecturer in economics at the University of Regina.