12 Oct 2026
Beyond the Agenda: The Unspoken Priorities for Canada’s Health System
When Canada’s Health Ministers meet this October, the headline issues will take up most of the oxygen. Tariffs and wait times are driving the news cycle, and a number of equally consequential health challenges are being pushed to the margins.
The long-term sustainability of our health care system rests on pillars that risk being left off the official agenda, including long-term care, mental health services and chronic disease management. In this special episode of From the Burgundy Chairs, Santis Health’s Manager of Federal Government Affairs, Danielle Flieler, sits down with leading voices from each of these sectors to discuss the priorities that decision-makers cannot afford to overlook.
Featuring Jodi Hall, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Association for Long Term Care, Diana Vincze, Associate National Executive Director of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, and Carrie Thibodeau, National Director of Programs and Public Policy at The Kidney Foundation of Canada, this episode explores why these issues must stay top of mind for ministers, health leaders and Canadians.
Join us for a candid look at what sits beneath the formal agenda and what it will take to keep Canada’s health system on a sustainable footing.
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Jodi Hall,
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association for Long Term Care
Jodi Hall joined the Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC) as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer in 2021. From 2017 to 2021, she served as Executive Director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, where she led the provincial implementation of the interRAI LTCF assessment in every long-term care home in the province and the development of a provincial recruitment and retention strategy. During that time she also sat on the CALTC Board of Directors and served as its Chair from 2019 to 2021.
Jodi began her career on the front lines of long-term care, first in the dietary department of a local home while in high school and later as a nurse. She went on to serve as Director of Education with the Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses and as administrator of a long-term care home outside Fredericton. She has also served as Board Chair of the New Brunswick Continuing Care Safety Association and Co-Chair of the Collaborative for Healthy Aging and Care.
Diana Vincze,
Associate National Executive Director, Mood Disorders Society of Canada
Diana Vincze was appointed Associate National Executive Director of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) in August 2026. In this role, she oversees the coordination of MDSC's national programs, leads the organization's strategic operational growth and guides its multi-sector partnership strategy in support of the evolving mental health needs of Canadians.
Diana brings more than 14 years of experience managing large-scale, cross-sector initiatives in health care. Before her appointment, she held national program leadership roles at MDSC, where she led the development and national rollout of health care education initiatives, coordinated national virtual learning programs and managed multi-stakeholder collaborations that advance care for patients and families across Canada. Diana holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa and a Project Management Certification from the University of British Columbia. She is fluent in English, French, Hungarian and Romanian.
Carrie Thibodeau,
National Director, Programs and Public Policy, The Kidney Foundation of Canada
Carrie Thibodeau is the National Director of Programs and Public Policy at The Kidney Foundation of Canada, where she leads the Foundation's national programs and its policy and advocacy work on behalf of Canadians living with kidney disease. She has been a leading voice in the Foundation's push for a National Chronic Kidney Disease Framework, which calls for prevention, early detection and timely intervention, equitable access to kidney care, and stronger research and da
