Dr. Theresa Tam considered “all Canadians as [her] patients” during the pandemic, and resented public criticism that strayed into mockery of her accent and ethnicity.Tam is the nation’s $324,000-a-year chief public health officer, and oversaw public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her views are detailed in Access To Information notes from the Public Health Agency of Canada, obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.“Overnight I went from being relatively unknown to being broadcast to the public eye with all my words and actions scrutinized,” said Tam’s notes for a 2024 conference. “Social media has amplified the spread of misinformation, hampering public health responses, creating confusion and distrust.”“The polarization of science witnessed over the course of the pandemic has put people in leadership positions such as myself on the front lines as the targets of hate.”“I have received many wonderful and uplifting messages. I see all Canadians as my patients and I choose to focus my energy on these types of motivation.”“I take these messages to heart because they give me a sense of purpose to do the best job I can. It’s always a good idea to listen to voices with different opinions. This is part of the scientific process.”.Tam from the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 held weekly televised news conferences. Then-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland at an April 14, 2020 conference called Tam a national celebrity.“I have observed as a former journalist that chief public health officers across the whole country have become this generation’s rock stars,” she said.However Tam in her Access To Information notes said she resented public criticism that became cruel or racist..“Hateful comments and threats became a regular daily occurrence throughout this pandemic,” she wrote.“Being a visible minority woman is especially challenging due to the politicization of the pandemic and its origins. Racist, hateful remarks are unacceptable in our public discourse, full stop.”“I am a visibly racialized woman entrusted with the position of Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer. It hasn’t always been smooth. There have been times especially since the pandemic has shone a spotlight on my position where I have been publicly criticized for my appearance, my race, my accent and my advice.”“However if my presence can inspire young Canadians that they too can be in a position of leadership I feel I have done my job. My leadership position isn’t one of power – in fact I have very little power – but one of support and influence in decision making.”“Everyone is an armchair epidemiologist,” Tam told a 2020 videoconference.“I find the whole thing a bit sort of surreal.”The pandemic was “extremely stressful” for public health officers, said Tam.“It does actually help when the public realizes what our job is as opposed to decision makers, how much pressure we’re under,” she said.“Not everybody likes what we say. We’re resigned to that. There is a lot of people who will tell me I’m not doing the right thing – too fast, too slow, too soon, too much, you know. But I don’t make decisions singularly.”
