The Health Leadership Vacuum
Why Physical Activity Must Be at the Core of Canada's Future
Publius #5, April 16, 2025
The Silence on Health is Deafening
As Canadians prepare to watch the Leaders' Debates tonight and tomorrow, a glaring omission stands out: health is completely absent from the agenda. This week, in national media, medical organizations and patient advocates voiced serious concerns about this critical oversight.
While our political discourse fixates on the fast-moving crises of Trump, tariffs, and taxes, we're ignoring the slow-moving health crisis that threatens our nation's future. The government we elect will shape policies for up to five years – shouldn't our leaders be addressing both immediate AND long-term challenges to Canadian wellbeing?
From 'Sickness Care' to Proactive Health
The evidence grows clearer daily: Canada needs a revolution in health care that puts proactive health at its core. Yet our political parties show little evidence of embracing this vision.
Just this week, CBC reporter Alison Northcott revealed that authorities are now considering bariatric surgery as a response to childhood obesity. Have we completely surrendered on making physical activity a cornerstone of physical, mental, and spiritual health?
Meanwhile, the respected Macdonald-Laurier Institute released a report titled "Wired for Worry: How Smartphones and Social Media are Harming Canadian Youth," documenting the worsening mental health crisis among our young people.
The Alarming State of Canadian Health
Since transitioning from MP to leading the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute (CHFI), I've witnessed disturbing trends:
- Childhood obesity has doubled since 1979
- Less than 20% of young Canadians meet Health Canada's minimum physical activity guidelines
- Diabetes and cardiovascular disease rates continue to surge
- According to the Conference Board of Canada, without timely investments, the lifetime cost of just one cohort of children with anxiety/depression starting at age 10 approaches $1 trillion
The contrast is stark between the cost of reactive health care and the opportunity to enrich our nation through proactive health care. Yet our officials cannot even quantify our proactive healthcare investments. We're paying for illness rather than investing in health.
CHFI's Vision for a Healthier Canada
At CHFI, we're working to fill this leadership vacuum. Our Blueprint, presented at an international conference in Sweden last year, outlines 23 recommendations requiring approximately $40 million – a modest investment compared to the $6-25 billion annual cost of sedentary behaviour to Canadian society and the $344 billion spent in 2023 on reactive health care.
Our vision focuses not just on lifespan, but on "health-span" – ensuring Canadians live not only longer but healthier, more active lives. We believe Canada can and should become the fittest nation on earth.
A Call to Leaders and Changemakers
We voters face a crucial moment to reimagine health leadership in Canada.
We need leaders who will:
- Place proactive health at the core of Canadian health policy and culture
- Make physical activity a fundamental part of our education system
- Develop strategies to reverse trends in obesity, diabetes, and mental health challenges
- Invest in prevention rather than just treatment
I invite visionary leaders, philanthropists, and citizens passionate about Canada's health future to join CHFI in this vital mission. Together, we can spark the proactive health revolution Canada desperately needs.
While the political spotlight remains fixed on immediate issues, I challenge Canadians to demand that proactive health take the priority position it deserves. Hats off to the leader who shows the vision required to make this happen.
I wish you health and vitality, and, as we vote, I wish our country a proactive health care revolution.
Learn more about the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute at chfi.fit
A Note to Readers: While my name appears alongside these words, I write as “Publius”, an earnest citizen committed to Canada's welfare. Though I previously served as a Conservative Member of Parliament, these reflections are offered not as partisan strategy, but as a call to action for our nation's health.