Request for Canadian Political Leaders to Demonstrate their Strong Commitment to Science

The below letter was sent on March 28th to the Prime Minister, federal party leaders, and MPs across Canada, endorsed by representatives from CanHepC, CASL, CanMASLD, CAHN, and CanHepB. 

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Dear Prime Minister Carney, federal party leaders Poilievre, Blanchet and Singh, and Ministers Khera and Anand,

With the announcement of the Canadian federal election, we, the undersigned, urge you to make a clear and unequivocal commitment to the future of scientific inquiry and evidence-based public health decision making. With scientific research and public health under threat globally, through the undermining of institutions such as the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), it is imperative that Canada stand firmly in support of science and evidence-based decision making that protects and advances public health.

This moment presents challenges, but also an opportunity for Canada to showcase its strengths including Canadian innovation and scientific research and its commitment to a robust and evidence-informed health care system. As experts in liver diseases which affect up to 30-40% of the population, we have seen firsthand the profound and positive impact that research has had on the health of Canadians. International collaborative research has transformed the prevention and treatment of liver diseases, led to improvements in patient outcomes, and continues to drive progress towards achieving the WHO global hepatitis strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, a commitment endorsed by all member states including Canada.

Now, more than ever, we need political leaders to demonstrate their unwavering support for science and its role in promoting public health.

We urge you to demonstrate your leadership in response to threats to science and public health posed by the current US administration by addressing the following goals in your election platforms:

1. Protect Independent Research in Canada

• The recent US restrictions on scientific inquiry and knowledge sharing are harmful to all. Science requires open inquiry and free exchange of ideas across borders. We urge you to join us in advocating for independent research globally and public access to scientific information.

• Canada also has an important role to play in aligning calls for open science with its commitments to Truth and Reconciliation and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Research must be grounded in ethical, inclusive practices, and ensure that Indigenous peoples have control over the application and use of their data.

• In your election campaign, demonstrate how your government will ensure the protection of independent, publicly funded research while also advancing Indigenous governance principles for Indigenous data.
   

2. Sustain and Expand Support for Scientific Funding

   • In Canada, hepatitis C is the most burdensome infectious disease, responsible for more life-years lost than any other infectious disease and with hepatitis B, is the leading cause of liver cancer. Canada has already demonstrated pioneering expertise in this area, with the first antivirals for both Hepatitis B and C as well as the leading vaccine candidate for hepatitis C developed by our scientists. Fostering this expertise to further development of curative treatment for hepatitis B and a hepatitis C vaccine will be critical to achieving and sustaining elimination of viral hepatitis. Canada is well poised to remain a global scientific leader in this area with sufficient funding support.

   • We also know that the burden of hepatitis B and C in Canada is disproportionately experienced by certain populations including people who inject drugs, people with experience in the prison system, Indigenous peoples, immigrants and newcomers from high prevalence countries, as well as gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Research into context - and population - specific interventions is critical to preventing blood-borne infections and linking people diagnosed with hepatitis to care and treatment

   • MASLD (fatty liver disease) is the most common cause of liver disease and is estimated to affect 25-30% of the population. With the obesity epidemic, liver disease from MASLD is already the leading cause of liver transplant and is projected to be a huge public health burden in coming years. We need effective treatment. Canadian scientists discovered GLP-1, which enabled development of transformative weight loss medications like Ozempic. With support and existing expertise, we can stem the tide of obesity and fatty liver disease.

   • In your election campaign, demonstrate how your government will provide adequate and sustained investments in all areas of health research, especially related to liver diseases and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.
      

3. Enhance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Justice (EDIA&J) in Science

   • A diverse and inclusive scientific community is essential to an innovative and impactful research infrastructure that can meaningfully tackle the most pressing and urgent health questions. Canada’s Tri-Council Agencies have demonstrated their commitment to supporting EDIA&J in research through the development of best practices resources and a five-year action plan.

   • In your election campagn, define how your government will uphold existing Tri-Council committments to EDIA&J and support researchers and trainees self-identifying as Indigenous or from other equity-deserving groups who continue to be under-represented in the sciences and health research in Canada.
      

We are confident that, with your collective and united leadership, Canada will continue to lead globally through its support for science and evidence-based public health. We look forward to working with you.
 

Sincerely,

Jordan Feld, MD, MPH, and Naveed Zafar Janjua, MBBS, DrPH 
Co-Directors, Canadian Network on Hepatitis C (CanHepC) 
www.canhepc.ca

Carla S. Coffin, MD, MSc and Giada Sebastiani, MD, MSc
President and President Elect of Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver 
www.hepatology.ca

Alnoor Ramji, MD, FRCP(C)
Steering Commitee Member, Canadian MASLD Network (CanMASLD) 
www.canmasld.org

Lindsay Myles, MN NP-PHC
President of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses 
www.cahn.ca

Adam Gehring, PhD
Steering Commitee Member, Canadian Hepatitis B Research Network
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team Grant, Pathways Towards Hepatitis B as a Functional Cure 
www.canadianHBVNetwork.ca