A Reflection on Public Health in Canada: Applying Lessons Learned for the Next Century of Public Health Practitioners/Reflexions Sur la Sante Publique Au Canada : Lecons Pour Les Praticiens Du Prochain Siecle (100 YEARS OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN CANADA:INVITED COMMENTARY/100 ANS DE SANTE PUBLIQUE AU CANADA: COMMENTAIRE Invite) (Report‪)‬

As we look back over the last century, we can take pride in the advances we have made in improving the health of Canadians and in establishing an effective public health approach that to this day continues to be an influential and driving force in Canada and around the world. Over the past 100 years, our discipline has evolved. We have progressed from a purely reactionary practice that confronted infectious diseases only in the face of outbreaks, to one that responds to crises while at the same time proactively promoting and protecting health. Today we look past poor health as a stand-alone problem and are moving toward a better understanding of how to address what Sir Michael Marmot would call the "causes of the causes", (1) the social and economic factors that contribute to our community and individual well-being.