Canada’s New Chief Public Health Officer Prioritizes Fighting Misinformation

Tackling health misinformation and rebuilding public trust are the top priorities for Dr. Joss Reimer as she prepares to become Canada’s chief public health officer. The Manitoba native, whose three-year appointment was announced Friday, emphasized the need for the federal government to proactively counter false health 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,” Reimer said in an interview following the announcement of her appointment.

Reimer acknowledged that public trust in institutions, including health authorities, eroded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a challenge that will take years to overcome.

“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 explained. “We have a lot of trust-building that we’re going to need to do that’s going to take years.”

Reimer will succeed Dr. Theresa Tam, who retired in June after serving eight years in the role. Tam became a household name during the pandemic as she delivered near-daily updates to Canadians navigating rapidly changing public health information and guidelines.

Like her predecessor, Reimer gained public visibility during the pandemic while serving as chief medical officer for the Winnipeg health authority and as medical lead for Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force, positions that gave her frontline experience in public health crisis management.

Health Minister Marjorie Michel highlighted the critical timing of Reimer’s appointment, noting that 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 measles outbreak is particularly concerning as Canada has lost the elimination status it had maintained since 1998. Reimer brings personal connection to this issue, coming from a small town that is part of the current outbreak and where vaccine hesitancy has been prevalent.

“We need to have partnerships from on the ground, from community leaders all the way up to the federal government,” she said, emphasizing a comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis.

Reimer noted that the rise in measles cases isn’t surprising given how “incredibly infectious” the disease is and the current landscape of “more misinformation and more vaccine hesitancy.”

The challenge of misinformation extends beyond social media. In December, Minister Michel warned that American health institutions are no longer reliable information sources for Canadians, citing how the Trump administration has reduced funding to research institutions and promoted false vaccine information.

Despite these concerns, Reimer maintains that collaboration with American health professionals remains possible. “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,” she said, while emphasizing Canada’s need to establish its own trustworthy information channels.

Reimer brings impressive credentials to her new role, including a master’s degree in public health and research experience in 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.

Dr. Margot Burnell, the current CMA president, praised Reimer as “a source of calm and measured leadership for Manitobans during the pandemic” who “led the fight against false health information and advocated strongly for solutions to improve access to care for everyone in Canada.”

Nancy Hamzawi, president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, expressed confidence that Reimer’s “vision and dedication will help advance the public health and well-being of Canadians.”

Reimer will begin her term on April 1, stepping into a role that has gained unprecedented public attention and carries significant responsibilities in an era of complex health challenges and information warfare.