Health Report for Canada's Chief Public Health Officer

"Fundamental changes in our socioeconomic structures are needed to rebuild our relationships with each other and with our planet."

"Collectively, we have a deep appreciation for Indigenous Peoples' close and continuing relationship to the land and waters that we live upon and we are committed to a lifelong learning journey toward becoming good guests here."

"Canadian public health actions should focus on] decolonization, justice and equity [above all]."

"Health systems should be independently governed or at least arm's length from government structures to be free of fear of repercussions."

What We Heard: Perspectives on Climate Change and Public Health in Canada

Dr.Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health officer, Health Canada

Health Canada commissioned a report and what emerged was a paper written by three individuals, identifying as "white settlers", some 72 pages in length. It was commissioned for the purpose of studying and detailing "impacts of climate change on the health and well-being of people living in Canada". For their report the three authors surveyed thirty public health experts and academics for inclusion and perspective.

 

Warming climate does in fact have an impact on health in Canada; an example of which is an expanded range for disease-carrying mosquitoes increasing potentially the number of people who may be exposed to diseases normally associated with more tropical climates than Canada's; as example, malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus. Despite which the report lists no condition or infectious illness that might pose a risk in Canada, with linkage to climate change.

The report features instead disparate opinions by Canadian public health professionals focusing on "less tangible determinants", equating with "legal, colonial and racist factors". Which led the report to include opinions and explanations and recommendations such as these:

• "If we don't address capitalism, if we don't address colonialism, racism, the patriarchy, etcetera, we're going to tread water for a long time until we eventually drown."
• "It's really about the foundations of our society, the capitalist system, the culture of extraction -- and we need to change that. How do we do that?"
• "[The concept of] liberty and individualism advances the individual over the collective; it says 'as long as I get what I want, bugger you', and it leads to a huge number of problems, and it undermines the collective process."

The views of 30 Canadian public health officials and academics considered to "have some understanding of the role of public health systems", were distilled in the report. Many of these individuals exist at top levels in the Canadian public health establishment and include three Canada Research chairs. All of the 30 representatives were asked in focus groups or one-on-one interviews: "What roles should the public health system play and why?"

Climate change and poor public health, the report concludes, are caused by many of the same issues: "White supremacy, capitalism, colonialism and racism". Yet another theme posited that public health officials should be more "courageous" to insist on policy typically considered outside their purview be included, which would encompass the promotion of "low meat" diets, designs of housing projects and advocating against extraction and use of fossil fuels.

One respondent stated: "Practically speaking, a lot of public health people want to be making the connections, but they are literally not given the mandate or the permission to because it's not seen to be within their box." There is an admission in the report that public or official pushback to this manner of "speaking out" may result from health agencies, recommending these bodies be insulated against avenues of accountability.

One report respondent stated a belief that "Public health is under attack in some provinces ... and there's this climate change denial that we all know is being fuelled by the fossil fuel sector. So, my worry is that with public health that we won't actually be able to get out there and do what we need to do."

There was a near-unanimous pronouncement in the report that public health agencies should receive increased funding, even at the expense of the primary heath care system; if public health has more money to improve society and fight climate change, the rational goes, fewer people would be going to hospital. "Not only would the primary health-care system require less funding but staff would be less overwhelmed in their duties, especially as health issues related to climate change intensify", reads the report.

NOTICE: This is not a chapter of Lewis Carroll's "Through The Looking Glass".

The report concludes that climate change and poor public health are caused by many of the same things: “White supremacy, capitalism, colonialism, and racism.” Photo by Public Health Agency of Canada