The Lalonde Report in historical perspective

It has been fifty years since the publication of A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians, a Green Paper circulated under the name of then Canadian federal Minister of Health and Welfare, the Honourable Marc Lalonde. Since its publication in 1974, the Lalonde Report, as it is commonly known, has been credited with launching a new era of health promotion, with a sustained focus on the social determinants of illness, disease, and disability. It was also surprisingly influential, breaking new ground for other international accords. At the same time, it has garnered a certain amount of criticism for its emphasis on individual responsibility for health outcomes, with some researchers sensing a neo-liberal agenda that occluded structural and environmental contributions to health inequities. At a time when Canadians are again debating the future of a health care system, this Introduction and the historical articles that follow aim to place the Lalonde Report in its political, social, and epidemiological context. It will provide a much-needed reflection on one of the most important public policy documents in contemporary Canadian history.