Hon. Amina Gerba: Welcome to the Senate, minister. Many studies show persistent inequalities in access to health care, particularly for Black women. These inequalities are often linked to systemic biases that are sometimes described as misogynoir, or both racist and sexist.

What practical steps is the federal government taking to improve the collection of disaggregated data and to adapt health care policies to better respond to the specific needs of Black women in Canada?

Hon. Marjorie Michel, P.C., M.P., Minister of Health: Thank you very much, senator. As I said earlier, you will make our jobs a lot easier if you vote in favour of Bill S-5. I would also say that, when it comes to data collection, the provinces collect data and send it to the federal government, but the problem is that it’s not aligned. Because of the way the data is presented, we can’t really use it as scientific data and translate it into action, but that will be easier to do if Bill S-5 passes.

Senator Gerba: Thank you for your answer. Are there specific targets or performance indicators for assessing progress toward health equity for these populations?

Ms. Michel: I’m afraid I can’t say for certain, senator. We do have some metrics, but I don’t know whether they apply specifically to these populations. I’m not sure, but I can get back to you on that.