New report says Canada faces a health security emergency -- and the fix could unlock economic growth

OTTAWA, ON, June 25, 2025 /CNW/ - A new report from the Public Policy Forum (PPF) is calling on the federal government to recognize that Canada faces a national health security emergency and must address escalating threats to the country's health and economic security. 

With geopolitical instability and declining U.S. leadership in global health, the report warns that Canada must act quickly to modernize how it regulates and approves medicines, as well as build resilience in its life sciences sector. Supply chain disruptions resulting from U.S. trade policy, the erosion of public trust in science and an underinvestment in domestic businesses have all exposed serious vulnerabilities, which, if left unchecked, pose direct threats to the health of Canadians. 

Titled Canada's Code Red: An urgent playbook to build an economy-boosting life sciences sector, the report highlights the value of Canada's life sciences sector as an investment that will yield health and economic returns. It argues that the threat of an emergency demands a new sense of urgency, with innovative solutions that include: streamlining regulatory processes, enabling more flexible and rapid decision-making and removing bureaucratic bottlenecks that delay life sciences investment and product approvals. Recognition of a national health security emergency would also send a powerful signal to international investors, provincial partners and industry leaders that Canada is committed to becoming a global hub for health innovation and commercialization. 

The report marks the launch of PPF's new Healthy Canadians, Competitive Canada (HCCC) research program. Under the umbrella of PPF's Mission Canada initiative, the HCCC program will document links between a vibrant life sciences sector and the country's overall economic and social success. 

"Canada must prioritize resilience, innovation, and self-reliance," the report notes. "The newly elected federal government has an unparalleled opportunity to redefine Canada's life sciences landscape by embracing urgency, dismantling bureaucratic barriers and fostering a culture of innovation." 

With the right approach, the report says that: "…. Canada can transform its life sciences sector into a cornerstone of national strength — one that protects its citizens' health while contributing significantly to economic prosperity, ensuring healthy Canadians within a competitive Canada." 

To enable this, the report recommends a series of 'plays': 

• Recognize that Canada faces a national health security emergency, and that meaningful change within regulatory bodies and among government decision-makers must quickly boost the life sciences sector;
• Fast-track the rollout of Health Emergency Readiness Canada (HERC) to coordinate pandemic preparedness and biomanufacturing capacity;
• Create a Canadian life sciences performance scorecard to track progress in R&D, talent, infrastructure and investment;
• Recruit top global talent through a coordinated national life sciences workforce strategy — in particular, fast-tracked immigration and academic placement for U.S. researchers;
• Adopt a 'made in Canada' strategy to prioritize domestic innovation and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains; and
• Unlock Canadian health data as a national asset for research and commercialization.

"This report is a call to action for policymakers in Canada to respond with determination in supporting Canada's life sciences sector," said Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO of the Public Policy Forum. "The vital importance of the sector to Canadians' overall health, as well to the economy as a whole, has long been clear — it must now be addressed with pandemic-level urgency." 

Written by journalist Christopher Waddell, the report was informed in part by the insights generated by PPF's Life Sciences Forum Leadership Table, co-chaired by Mark Lievonen, principal of JML Advisory Services and former co-chair of Canada's COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, and Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, managing partner at TwinRiver Capital.

"The good news is that with the right policy decisions and decisive action we can turbocharge growth of the life science sector," Ms. Jabalpurwala said, "ensuring our businesses are protecting the health of Canadians, as well as boosting economic growth."

SOURCE Public Policy Forum

For more information, contact: Alison Uncles, Vice-President, PPF Media + Communications, Public Policy Forum, [email protected]