2nd Edition of Public Health World Conference (PHWC) 2026

Abstract

Background:
Climate change is widely recognized as a major global health threat with disproportionately harmful effects on socially and economically marginalized populations. Despite growing evidence linking climate change to health inequities, equity considerations remain inconsistently integrated into climate and health policy. In Canada, public health and healthcare institutions hold substantial social and political influence, positioning them as key actors in shaping climate responses. However, the extent to which these institutions engage with climate change as a health equity and climate justice issue remains underexamined.

Methods:
This dissertation employs a qualitative critical case study design informed by a critical materialist political economy framework and a health equity lens. Data are generated through a critical discourse analysis of policy documents, official statements, and flagship journals produced by major Canadian public health and healthcare organizations, including national public health, medical, and nursing bodies. This document analysis is complemented by semi-structured interviews with key informants working within or alongside these institutions. Interview data are analyzed thematically using an inductive approach, supported by sensitizing concepts related to power, equity, and justice.

Results:
The analysis examines how climate change is framed within Canadian public health and healthcare discourse, the degree to which health equity is embedded in institutional priorities, and how power relations shape policy engagement and mobilization. Findings identify patterns of alignment and misalignment between institutional rhetoric and action, as well as structural and discursive barriers to transformative climate justice engagement.

Conclusion:
This research demonstrates the need for stronger integration of health equity and climate justice within Canadian public health and healthcare responses to the climate crisis. By situating institutional discourse within broader political and economic power structures, the study offers policy-relevant recommendations to support more equitable, justice-oriented, and transformative climate action across Canada’s health systems.