Promoting equity in health and in research
Message from the President

June 5, 2020

We are all living in uncertain and difficult times. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the health inequities faced by many marginalized and vulnerable Canadians, including access to health care and public health services. At the same time, recent protests and tensions felt throughout the world are shining a much-needed light of scrutiny on the persistent issues of systemic racism and bias in our societies.

Over the past year, as we conducted extensive consultations in preparation for the development of our new Strategic Plan, one key theme emerged above all others: equity.

As Canadians, we care deeply about equity because we are committed to building a country – and creating a world – wherein all people can expect to be treated fairly and justly. From a health perspective, this means equitable access to care and attending to the social, cultural, environmental, and structural determinants of health and health equity. From a research perspective, this means a community of health researchers that reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of our great country.

At CIHR, we remain steadfastly committed to upholding these ideals and to promoting a health research ecosystem that welcomes a diversity of voices, perspectives, and experiences. While we recognize that there is still much work to do on this front before true equity is achieved, we also recognize that, together, we have come a long way on this journey. In the months and years to come, we look forward to further pushing against the barriers that create inequities in our society, in an effort to strengthen our health research community and improve the health of all Canadians.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Strong, MD, FRCP, FCAHS, FAAN
President, CIHR

Date modified:

2020-06-05