Goal to identify inequities and develop more fair health systems in Canada
TORONTO (March 18, 2025) – More than 70 leading voices in health equity in Canada have joined together to call for the enhanced collection, use and community governance of race-based data in health. Their goal? To improve the health and well-being of racialized populations in the country.
“In Canada, your life expectancy, your risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease and your access to healthcare all depend on your race,” says Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of Wellesley Institute. “Black women are 20 times more likely to die from HIV/AIDS than other women, for example. But we do not know the true impact of race on health, or what can be done about it, because we do not routinely collect race-based data.”
The national consensus statement emerged from Powering Equity: Canada’s first summit on race-based data for health, which was convened last year by Wellesley Institute.
“Race-based data in health makes the invisible visible,” says Paul Bailey, Executive Director of Black Health Alliance, one of the signatories to the consensus statement. “It also points the way to the steps we need to take to address the inequities, and it gives us the insight to determine if what we are doing is working.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, race-based data demonstrated that Black populations had a nine-fold increase in infections. This led to changes in the pandemic strategy that decreased disparities.
At present, Canadian healthcare institutions and governments rarely – and usually only inconsistently – collect data about the race or ethnicity of the people they serve. By contrast, this collection is commonplace in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where it is considered fundamental for developing fair and effective health systems and social policy and for responding to community needs.
“As health innovations continue to emerge, having accurate data is more crucial than ever,” says Dr. McKenzie.
“It’s time for a systematic, coordinated, Canada-wide approach to collecting, using and effectively governing race-based data. All Canadians should have the opportunity to achieve their full health potential, without being hindered by structural or social barriers.”
Read the Consensus Statement on the Race-Based Data for Health.
Add your voice to the consensus statement.
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For more information or to arrange interviews about the consensus statement:
Judy Noordermeer
judy.noordermeer@wellesleyinstitute.com
647-830-9024
or
Colleen MacDonald
colleen.macdonald@wellesleyinstitute.com
647-458-3708