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Taylor belittles this well-established and supported concept of the social determinants of health as “impossibly broad.” It’s true that these upstream factors touch on all aspects of public policy. Our health is determined by political choices. If we want the best for Canadians, shouldn’t our political choices be determined by health?

There is a growing international movement, supported by the World Health Organization, toward “Health in all Policies,” an approach that has been adopted by governments around the world. Here in Canada, Quebec has such a policy, and Newfoundland and Labrador is currently exploring this model.

Taylor takes particular umbrage with an idea that has been expressed most clearly in the British Medical Journal: “The more equally wealth is distributed the better the health of that society.” There are three key ways in which wealth inequality can lead to worse health outcomes. The first, and most obvious, is poverty. In a less equal society, more people live in relative disadvantage, and are less able to afford safe housing and nutritious food or to access educational and economic opportunities. Their health suffers as a result, with people living in poverty often having life expectancies 20 or more years shorter than wealthier citizens. In my inner-city neighbourhood of Saskatoon, that manifests in rates of diabetes, heart disease, STIs, infant and overall mortality many times greater than the rest of the city.