Reimer Targets Misinformation as New Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

Canada’s New Chief Public Health Officer Prioritizes Fighting Misinformation, Rebuilding Trust

Tackling health misinformation and rebuilding public trust will be top priorities for Dr. Joss Reimer as she steps into her role as Canada’s new chief public health officer on April 1.

“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,” Reimer said in an interview Friday, following the announcement of her three-year appointment.

Reimer acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly eroded public trust in health institutions. “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. “We have a lot of trust-building that we’re going to need to do that’s going to take years.”

The Manitoba native brings valuable pandemic experience to the role, having served as chief medical officer for the Winnipeg health authority and as medical lead for Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force. During this time, she gained public visibility similar to her predecessor Dr. Theresa Tam, who retired in June after eight years in the position.

Health Minister Marjorie Michel emphasized the critical timing of Reimer’s appointment, as Canada faces multiple public health challenges including “a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, the threats posed by avian influenza A (H5N1), HIV and tuberculosis, the ongoing impacts of the illegal drug crisis and the harmful impacts of false health information.”

The recent measles outbreak has particular significance for Reimer. “I come from a small town which is part of the measles outbreak and where we have seen a fair bit of vaccine hesitancy,” she noted. The outbreak has continued long enough for Canada to lose the measles elimination status it had maintained since 1998, a development public health experts describe as alarming. The United States and Mexico also risk losing their elimination status.

Reimer isn’t surprised by the measles resurgence, citing the disease’s highly infectious nature combined with increasing misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Canadian health officials have warned that misinformation extends beyond social media, with Health Minister Michel previously stating that American health institutions are no longer reliable information sources for Canadians following funding cuts and promotion of false vaccine information during the Trump administration.

Regarding Canada-US health partnerships, Reimer took a measured approach: “I know that there are still really amazing people in the American system doing wonderful work, and so I think that there’s a lot of ways that we can continue to work together.” However, she emphasized that Canada must ensure it independently shares trustworthy information.

Reimer brings strong credentials to her new position, including a master’s degree in public health and research experience on sexually transmitted diseases and drug-related harms. She previously served as president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), where she delivered a formal apology to Indigenous Peoples for harms caused by the medical profession.

Nancy Hamzawi, president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, expressed confidence in the appointment: “At a time when strong, science-driven leadership has never been more important, I am confident that her vision and dedication will help advance the public health and well-being of Canadians.”

Dr. Margot Burnell, the current CMA president, praised Reimer’s pandemic leadership in Manitoba, noting she “led the fight against false health information and advocated strongly for solutions to improve access to care for everyone in Canada.”

As Reimer prepares to assume her role in April, she faces the complex task of addressing not just current disease outbreaks but also rebuilding the fractured public trust in health institutions that will be essential for effectively managing future public health challenges.