Made in Canada products and innovations have been on our minds lately. We are known worldwide for our beautiful landscapes, cold weather, tuques, excessive politeness, poutine, and even, although it’s hotly contested, inventing peanut butter! But did you know that Canada is responsible for many life-saving public health interventions?
A History of Innovation
One of Canada’s most celebrated products, maple syrup, was harvested first by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years, before that knowledge was passed on to European settlers in the 1600s. Indigenous groups used the syrup as a sweetener, as medicine, and even to preserve meat. We acknowledge and thank the Anishinaabe, Abenaki, Haudenosaunee, Mi’kmaq, and other Indigenous groups, for sharing their knowledge, and helping us to connect with nature by teaching new generations how to tap trees, and enjoy sweet treats with their bounty!
Canadian doctors created Pablum, the world’s first ready-to-use vitamin- and mineral-enriched baby cereal, during the Great Depression in Toronto. And on the subject of Canadian inventions that would revolutionise healthcare, Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best invented insulin in 1920, now used all over the world to treat people with Diabetes. For his contributions, Sir Banting won the Nobel Prize in Medicine!
Canadian medical inventions can be found all over — even in your own medicine cabinets at home. A desire to stop children from accidental poisoning led Dr Henri J. Breault, of Windsor, Ontario, to invent the ‘palm and turn’ medicine bottle tops. These child-resistant medicine bottles are a great example of prevention in action!
Canadians have always been passionate about public health and disease prevention. In fact, Canadians played an important role in the development and production of the polio vaccine, leading to a global reduction in polio cases from 300,000 in 1988 to 73 in 2024.
Prevention in Action
Exercise and physical activity are important ways to help prevent illness and injury. Canadians throughout history have invented new sports and ways to keep safe while playing. One of Canada’s most famous and surprising sports innovations is the creation of basketball — James Naismith invented one of the world’s most popular sports in 1891 after struggling to get his YMCA students moving during the long winter months.
The hockey goalie mask was invented in —where else — Canada in 1951 by Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacques Plante, after breaking his nose during a game. This literally changed the face of hockey and prevented many — but not all! — broken noses and missing teeth for goalies in the future.
Canadians that Changed the World
One of the most important advancements in modern medicine took place right here in Beautiful BC. Dr Julio Montaner and his team from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS discovered that Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, or HAART, a cocktail of three drugs taken daily, could stop HIV from progressing into AIDS. This transformed the diagnosis from a death sentence into a manageable illness. This leads us to another home grown innovation that we are proud to support: the Test, Link, Call program, led by Dr Sofia Bartlett at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). This program provides cell phones and peer support to groups who are disproportionately at risk for HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV) Hepatitis B (HBV), and Syphilis. This program has been so successful in reaching at-risk populations and providing care, that versions have been implemented in both Alberta and Quebec.
Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in women in Canada— that’s why this ‘Made in Canada’ advancement is so important. Imagine where we would be without Dr Wilfred Bigelow, whose research led to the first open heart surgery? In his free time, he invented the world’s first pacemaker. A Canadian’s work is never done!
One of the most significant accomplishments in the history of human genetics was made in Canada. In 1989, geneticist Lap-Chee Tsui from the Hospital for Sick Children at Toronto, and Francis Collins from the University of Michigan Medical School, successfully isolated the gene carrying the defect that causes Cystic Fibrosis. This discovery has allowed researchers to learn more about the disease and how it can be treated.
Are you up to date on your First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training? If you’ve ever taken this training course, you will have used the Actar 911 CPR mannequin, designed to provide a life-like subject to practice CPR, invented by Dianne Croteau and her partners in 1989 in Ontario. This invention has led to countless lives saved by teaching users how to provide emergency aid until medical help arrives.
Advancements in Equity
Many Canadian inventions were inspired by those deserving accessibility and equity. The electric wheelchair, an invention designed to assist injured veterans, was developed by Canadian engineer George Klein after World War II. The joystick and tighter turn systems along with separate wheel drives are still featured in electric wheelchairs today, giving freedom of movement back to so many with mobility issues.
The Converto-Braille, a computerized machine that converts Latin-alphabet texts to Braille, was invented by Roland Galarneau in Quebec in the 1960s, inspired by his lived experience of being born with 2 per cent of his vision. This invention allowed access to textbooks and other forms of written communication for the visually impaired.
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As you can see, there are so many reasons why we are proud to be Canadian and support innovation in public health here in BC and beyond. We are also grateful to continuously learn from the Indigenous ways of knowing and being that have been graciously shared with us. As Canadians, one of our core values is accessible, functional healthcare. Which is why, with recent world events, public health matters now more than ever. Donate now to help ensure a healthier, safer, and more equitable future for all by supporting public health initiatives that will have an immediate and lasting impact on communities across our province.
