Question Period Note: Tuberculosis

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• Tuberculosis (TB) is a preventable and curable infectious disease, and yet it remains a public health challenge. Although Canada is a low-incidence country, Indigenous Peoples and foreign-born individuals from high-incidence countries are disproportionately affected.
• Our Government recognizes the impact of tuberculosis on individuals and families.
• We are working with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners to take steps to reduce rates of tuberculosis in Canada, especially among vulnerable populations. We want to improve access to prevention, treatment and care for populations most at risk for the disease.
• Our approach is focussed on removing barriers such as stigma through awareness and education, and providing culturally appropriate services and treatment.
• We are committed to working with other nations to end the worldwide Tuberculosis epidemic, as set out by the United Nations.

Federal Role
TB is a disease of social inequality. Addressing it requires multi-sectoral action on the part of governments, industry and civil society. Government of Canada priorities focusing on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, food security, housing, poverty reduction and job creation are helping to leverage public health efforts at the local level.

Provinces and territories are primarily responsible for the delivery of health care to eligible residents under provincial and territorial health insurance plans. As such, the essential components of an effective TB prevention and control program, including contact tracing, outbreak management, and monitoring and evaluation, are typically coordinated and delivered by the provinces and territories.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) supports TB prevention and control through national surveillance; epidemiological support; deploying National Emergency Strategic Stockpile assets; and diagnostic/references services to support the detection and identification of TB.

Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee – Toward TB Elimination in Inuit Nunangat:
In March 2018, the Government of Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami announced their commitment to work collaboratively towards eliminating TB across Inuit Nunangat by 2030 and reducing active TB by at least 50% by 2025. Budget 2018 earmarked $27.5M over five years to support this work.
The release of the Inuit TB Elimination Framework in December 2018 marked an important milestone in the journey towards TB elimination in Inuit Nunangat and is helping shape action plans in each of the four Inuit regions. As Inuit continue on the path of self-determination, distinctions-based, culturally appropriate care is fundamental to how TB services are delivered.

• In 2020, the rate of active TB cases reported per 100,000 population in Canada was:
o 4.7 (5.1 among men, and 4.2 among women)
o Among Indigenous populations the rates were:
 13.6 among First Nations, 2.8 among Métis, and 72.2 among Inuit
o For persons born outside of Canada, the rate was 14.3 per 100,000
• High rates of TB among Indigenous populations are associated with social determinants of health, such as: poverty, food insecurity, poor housing conditions (particularly overcrowding and inadequate ventilation), and higher rates of other health problems (e.g. diabetes).