441-01348 (Health)

WHEREAS:

• Tuberculosis (TB), despite being a preventable and curable disease, continues to cause suffering and death in Canada, with deep inequities in its burden across the country, most notably among newcomer and Indigenous communities;
• Indigenous populations in Canada continue to face a disproportionate burden of TB, despite the Government of Canada's commitments to domestic TB elimination, including its specific commitment to ending TB across Inuit Nunangat by 2030;
• Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted TB services, and similar disruptions jeopardise the already-stagnant efforts to end TB here in Canada. However, the lack of updated national TB data hinders our understanding of the impact COVID-19 has had on TB programs in the country;
• There is an urgent need for the Government to scale up genuine efforts to end TB in Canada;
• The lack of a National Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy is a major barrier to TB elimination in the country;
• The failure to address tuberculosis in Canada is a failure to protect the health of all Canadians equally; and
• Aligning with the newest edition of the Canadian Thoracic Society TB Standards, outlining best practices in TB prevention and care in Canada,

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

1. Establish a national working group or committee to oversee the planning and creation of the National TB Elimination Strategy (hereafter the Strategy), that works closely with TB physicians, researchers and advocates, as well as Indigenous community representatives, to set evidencebased priorities for the Strategy;

2. Launch the Strategy, including specific commitments required to achieve TB elimination in Canada, such as:

a. Improving TB screening and care among high-priority groups,

b. Addressing the social determinants of health and barriers to TB care,

c. Improving access to essential medicines for TB,

d. Implementing timely TB surveillance infrastructure,

e. Adopting accountability, monitoring and evaluation measures for TB programming; and

3. Commit the funding required to fulfil the recommendations of the Strategy and achieve its milestones and targets in a timely manner.