OPINION: As other countries cut public health funding, Canada can lead in lung health

Canada should support a landmark WHO resolution addressing the alarming rise in both communicable and non-communicable respiratory diseases.

As leaders of two of Canada’s top lung health charities, we are calling on our federal government to seize a pivotal opportunity: taking the lead in supporting a landmark World Health Organization resolution, Promoting and prioritizing an integrated lung health approach. With millions of lives at stake worldwide and at home, this resolution isn’t just another item on the global health agenda. It’s a chance for Canada to stand up for smarter, more equitable, and more effective lung health care, and to help set a new worldwide standard for how we tackle one of humanity’s most pressing health challenges.

The World Health Organization (WHO) resolution addresses the alarming rise in both communicable and non-communicable respiratory diseases. It outlines a comprehensive global action plan emphasizing prevention, early diagnosis, equitable access to treatment, long-term care, and investment in the health-care workforce and patient-centred research. Critically, it recognizes the role of air pollution and climate change in driving respiratory illness.

This resolution is not a symbolic gesture; it’s an ambitious, overdue response to a growing crisis. And yet, despite our reputation for health-care innovation and global citizenship, Canada has not yet publicly indicated its support for this motion.

Our hesitancy to act isn’t due to lack of expertise. In fact, Canada has a proud history of driving global advancements in lung health. We were pioneers in implementing Primary Care Networks that bring respiratory care closer to home. Canada is one of the few countries whose provinces are investing in organized lung cancer screening, positioning the nation at the forefront of efforts to reduce mortality through evidence-based, structured care. Canadian lung health charities already collaborate at the national level, and we collaborate globally through the Global Airways and Allergies Patient Platform that provides support and resources to new lung health organizations across the world. In other words, we’ve done the groundwork. We have solutions worth sharing. What’s missing is a clear commitment to making lung health a priority at home—and using that foundation to engage globally and contribute as a leader.

We should be particularly motivated to act, considering the state of lung health within our borders. Canada ranks 11th in the world for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease burden and care. Our air quality is under increasing threat from climate-related events like wildfires, which now regularly blanket entire regions in smoke. Heat waves—which disproportionately affect people with chronic lung disease—are becoming more frequent, and more deadly.

These are not distant, theoretical threats. They are here now, worsening by the year. And they demand co-ordinated, cross-border solutions—the very kind this WHO resolution would support.

This isn’t about assigning blame. Canada’s provincial and federal governments have proven they can act decisively in a health crisis, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. But leadership on the world stage requires more than emergency response. It requires sustained attention, bold vision, and the courage to step forward.

And right now, Canada has a chance to lead.

As other countries face cuts to public health and science funding, Canada is well positioned to fill the void. Our researchers, clinicians, and policy thinkers have already contributed significantly to the advancement of lung health. By aligning with this resolution, Canada could amplify its impact and help shape a global framework for respiratory health—one that prioritizes prevention, equity, and climate resilience.

This isn’t just about lungs. It’s about public health systems that can withstand environmental and epidemiological shocks. It’s about ensuring the most vulnerable—children, seniors, low-income communities—aren’t left to suffer from preventable illness. It’s about preparing now instead of reacting later.

This country has the tools. We have the talent. We have the standing. What’s needed now is for Canada to support this resolution, take part in the global dialogue, and lend its voice to a healthier, more equitable future.

The people most affected by lung disease—in Canada and beyond—deserve thoughtful leadership, forward-looking decision-making, and a lasting commitment to care.

It’s time for Canada to take a deep breath, and step forward.

Jessica Buckley is president and CEO of the Lung Health Foundation. Jeffrey Beach is the president and CEO of Asthma Canada.