Canada’s incoming top doctor says restoring public trust a top priority
Global News
Canada's incoming chief public health officer Dr. Joss Reimer said it's critical for the federal government to take a proactive approach to countering false information.
Tackling health misinformation and rebuilding public trust are top priorities for Canada’s incoming chief public health officer Dr. Joss Reimer.
In an interview Friday, the day her three-year appointment to the role was made public, the Manitoba native said it’s critical for the federal government to take a proactive approach to countering false information.
“One of the biggest challenges with health misinformation is the speed at which it changes, because it doesn’t take a lot of time to come up with a lie,” she said.
She acknowledged that trust in institutions, including health information, was eroded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Because there was so much difficulty — people were losing jobs and income, people were being separated from loved ones. And whether or not those were right decisions, it was hard,” she said.
“And so we have a lot of trust-building that we’re going to need to do that’s going to take years.”
The pandemic thrust public health officials across the country into the spotlight. Dr. Theresa Tam, Reimer’s predecessor in the job, became a household name as she gave near-daily updates for months on end to Canadians who were anxiously trying to stay on top of shifting epidemiological information and public health advice.
Tam retired in June after eight years in the role.
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