The arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2020 has raised awareness about serious deficiencies in Canada’s public health apparatus.

Even while other countries were implementing protective measures to address the epidemic spread of the virus, Canadian health officials maintained that the domestic risk was low. Since then, flaws in the risk assessment process and lack of integration of surveillance information, insufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), logistics for distributing laboratory supplies, capacity shortages, problems with data quality and sharing, and untested emergency plans, have left Canadians vulnerable. Notably absent were pre-existing communication plans informing citizens of necessary public health measures such as the use of masks, social distancing, stay-athome measures, or business and school closures.