The World Needs More Compassion — Canada Must Step Up in Global Health

By: Petra Heitkamp, Co-Chair, Stop TB Canada/ Community Manager TBPPM Learning Network

When Canada hosted the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, last week it had a strong opportunity to lead with values Canadians are most proud of – fairness, solidarity, kindness and compassion. These principles, outlined in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s own book Values, could have shaped an ambitious global health agenda. Instead, the G7 fell short.

In the face of rising global inequality, climate shocks, and collapsing health systems in the face of U.S withdrawal from global leadership, the world needed bold commitments. But the summit failed to deliver meaningful action on global health. Health was largely sidelined  and disconnected from discussions on trade, economics and security. As The Globe and Mail’s André Picard rightly points out, our ‘nation-building’ projects should also reflect Canadian values’, extending beyond infrastructure and fiscal policy. It must be about investing in people within our borders and globally.

Now more than ever, the world needs countries willing to lead with moral courage and compassion. This is not just a domestic imperative—it’s a global one.

The Global Health Crisis Demands New Leadership

The abrupt collapse of global health programs, which were supported by USAID before Trump’s second presidency, has devastated health systems around the world. Programs that took decades to build—rooted in science, equity, and justice—were suddenly defunded or dismantled, leaving millions without access to life-saving care. Tuberculosis (TB) programs have been shut down, crippling neglected diseases are on the rise, vaccine hesitancy is surging, and healthcare workers and development staff are finding themselves out of work, facing what psychologists call “moral injury”: the trauma of being forced to act against one's values or stand helplessly as those values are betrayed.

This isn’t just a crisis of funding, it’s a crisis of vision. The global disruption highlights the outdated nature of much of the current international aid and global health architecture. Many systems are still based on post-war models developed in the 1950s—hardly suitable for today’s climate, health, and geopolitical realities. 

Meanwhile, leadership is emerging elsewhere. At the 2025 BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting in Brazil - held the same week as the G7 - countries (home to over half the world’s TB burden) agreed on a declaration focused on eliminating socially determined diseases, expanding vaccine cooperation, and improving access to essential health commodities. Their emphasis on equity and sustainable financing shows what forward-looking global health cooperation can look like. In contrast, the G7 in Canada offered little beyond fragment funding commitments and high-level statements.  

The current global health crisis demands bold vision and principled leadership. If Canada wants to lead by example, it must do so with both compassion and conviction. 

Health Belongs at the Center of Global Policy

One of the most glaring oversights at the G7 was its failure to connect health with broader discussions on trade, economics, and security. Without healthy populations, there is no prosperity, no productivity, no peace . Diseases know no borders. As Megan Aikens, Director of The Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health put it:  “When the world sneezes, the poorest countries catch pneumonia—and soon, everyone feels the fever”.  At a time when political attention is focused on border protection, we cannot forget that nature is stronger. Climate change is creating new disease patterns, requiring modern ‘One Health’ approaches that integrate human, animal, and environmental health. Pandemic preparedness can no longer be an afterthought—it must be foundational. We need “Health-in-all-policies”. 

While the U.S. has taken a scorched-earth approach to bilateral and multilateral relationships, countries like Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Spain have redefined their strategies in global health with strategic foresight. Canada must choose reform over retreat. 

As Canada chairs the G7 and South Africa takes over the G20, a moment of opportunity is unfolding. These platforms can be used to reshape global health leadership around shared values—values that reflect not just fiscal responsibility but also moral responsibility. Canada has a unique position of convening power the world needs right now.

Three Ways Canada Can Lead with Compassion

Leadership must be more than political posturing or short-term funding pledges. Canada must demonstrate commitment through action, investment, and smart alliances.

1. Leverage Innovation for Health at Home

If Canada wants to be seen as a credible global health leader at the G7, it must first lead by example. A Canada-led “Health-in-all-Policies” approach —one that drives investment and coordination across housing, infrastructure, environment, and health—can serve as a blueprint for others.. For instance, infrastructure projects for Indigenous communities should integrate health and social planning. Overcrowded housing contributes directly to TB transmission. Looking at housing through a health lens can produce immediate, measurable outcomes and inject the necessary investment resulting in a win-win. Likewise, public health-focused taxation—on tobacco or sugar-sweetened beverages—can strengthen Canada’s own health system while showcasing how smart domestic policy can fund universal healthcare sustainably.

By aligning domestic action with global goals, Canada can set the tone for what G7 leadership on health truly looks like—innovative, inclusive, and accountable.

2. Use Diplomacy to Finance Global Health

Canada’s diplomatic relations are a powerful tool for good. We can do more than provide government-funded aid—we can mobilize investments from other governments, global banks, and philanthropic partners. Global mechanisms like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Stop TB Partnership’s TB REACH initiative have saved millions of lives and proven how innovation and partnership can work at scale. Canada’s long standing support for global TB elimination now needs whole-of-government and industry partnerships to deepen impact. Innovative financing tools such as debt-for-health swaps and co-financing mechanisms can dramatically increase the impact of Canada's contributions. 

3. Mobilize the Private Sector for Global Impact

Canadian industries stand to benefit when global health improves. Healthy workers are more productive, and resilient health systems reduce business risk.  Canadian companies operating abroad, especially in mining, agriculture, and pharma, have a direct stake in public health. Mining companies in TB-endemic countries face real health risks to their workforce. Investing in local health solutions is both ethical and economically sound. But beyond that, in many low- and middle-income countries, the private sector is where most people go for primary care. Without partnering with these systems, we will never achieve global health equity.

Canada’s Track Record—and the Road Ahead

Canada is already showing that compassion can guide global leadership. The world is changing—and Canada has a choice. We can watch from the sidelines, or we can lead with the values that define us. As G7 chair, we must use our voice to place people at the center of global policy making. We must advocate for health systems that are resilient, equitable, multisectoral, and compassionate.

The world needs more than funding—it needs hope, leadership, and solidarity. Canada can deliver all three.