The Canadian response to COVID-19 to date has further revealed and amplified cracks in our health surveillance systems and some of the perpetual challenges of our federated model with its delegation of authority for health to the provinces and territories. Key among these is its capacity to collect race-based data and enhance the collection of comprehensive socio-demographic data as a means to focus response activities better. In order to contain COVID-19 and mitigate its long-term societal harms, we need to work with equity-seeking communities to understand and address underlying inequities that disproportionately affect certain communities and impact all Canadians.
