The federal cabinet has appointed Nancy Hamzawi as the new president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, making her the fifth person to lead the troubled agency in as many years. Blacklock's Reporter says Hamzawi will receive a salary of $296,000.Her appointment comes after a series of controversies, including missteps during the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from hiring scientists with links to the Chinese military. While the Prime Minister’s Office called the public service “critical to a stronger Canada,” it made no mention of ongoing concerns about the agency’s performance..Hamzawi, who previously managed climate programs at Environment Canada, replaces Heather Jeffrey, who is retiring. Three of Jeffrey’s predecessors quit before completing their terms.Created in 2004 following the SARS outbreak, the Public Health Agency was designed to enhance Canada’s pandemic readiness. In early 2020, it had a $675 million annual budget and claimed it was fully prepared for a global health emergency. Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau said on March 11, 2020, “Canada is among the best prepared countries in the world.”Despite that, the agency later admitted it had ignored early warnings, failed to properly maintain its emergency stockpile, and discarded nearly 9 million pieces of protective equipment before the pandemic. A 2024 review concluded that the agency “was not as prepared as it could have been.”.In 2022, the agency gave all 4,995 employees a velvet-boxed “pandemic hero” medallion to recognize their efforts, though admissions of failure followed soon after.More serious concerns arose from the agency’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, where it kept two researchers on staff despite knowing as early as 2018 that they had undisclosed ties to China’s People’s Liberation Army. The pair were only fired in 2021, with a 2020 CSIS memo warning they posed a credible national security threat due to access to sensitive biological materials.During 2024 hearings, MPs slammed the agency for failing to act. “What we are faced with is the naiveté or incompetence of this organization,” said then-Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure.
