Toronto Star: Canada has an opportunity to lead the G7 on global health equity
Kelley Lee, professor and Tier 1 Canada research chair in Global Health Governance in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University; and Stephanie A. Nixon, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and director of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto

“As many countries turn inwards in uncertain times, Canada has an opportunity to show leadership in a domain where we have traditionally excelled: global health. … But as Canada assumes the G7 presidency in 2018 — solidifying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge that ‘Canada is back’ — there is hardly time for complacency. This past week, … The Lancet launched a series analyzing Canada’s contributions to health at home and abroad. In our paper, we call on the Prime Minister to use the G7 presidency to seize a leadership role in global health equity. This requires meeting four challenges. The first is to close the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples arising from colonization. … Second, we should reject a ‘Canada first’ agenda that makes economic self-interest a priority in global health. … Third, we need to better leverage one of our greatest assets: diversity. … Fourth, … [w]e need to develop and commit to a Canadian Global Health Strategy to create a unifying vision for Canada’s efforts and impact in the world. … The G7 presidency in 2018 should be a platform for the government to back its words with concrete actions, if Canada is to be truly back” (2/27).