Marjorie Michel: From Haiti to the Highest Levels of Health Leadership in Canada

By Nancy Roc*

She was born in Haiti, the daughter of a prime minister who endured the storms of a troubled national history. Today, she oversees the health portfolio of a country of 40 million people. Between these two realities lies a trajectory marked by commitment, memory, and an unwavering conviction: politics is, above all, a form of service.

In this exclusive interview granted to Nancy Roc to close Black History Month, Canada’s federal Minister of Health, Marjorie Michel, speaks with restraint and depth - true to that Haitian generation that learned that dignity is something one carries standing tall.

There are destinies that seem shaped by circumstance, and others that assert themselves through an inner coherence. In Marjorie Michel’s case, the call to public service stems neither from calculation nor from dynasty, but from an early disposition of the heart.

“I was born and raised in Haiti. From a very young age, I was already deeply driven by the desire to make a difference in people’s lives.”

The young girl from Port-au-Prince spent her weekends teaching in underprivileged schools, volunteering in clinics, and giving catechism lessons. The country was living under dictatorship. Her family was targeted. Her father would miraculously emerge alive from Fort-Dimanche. Politics was never discussed at home.

Then came 1986. Then 1990. Democratic hope. The Lavalas movement. The first free elections.

“I was 27 years old and even then politics meant Service to me, and serving is not only a privilege but also a great responsibility.”

That definition has never left her.

Exile as a Second Birth

Exile is never merely a parenthesis; it becomes a second identity. In Ottawa, around decision-making tables, Marjorie Michel carries with her a memory of the South.

“My eyes are different from those of the majority because I have the story of a daughter of the South. It is a richness because it allows me to add another lens to conversations and to my decisions.”

In a mature democracy such as Canada, she reminds us that governing requires listening to plural voices.

“For me, democracy requires taking different voices into account and transforming them into better political decisions for the benefit of the majority.”

Turning diversity into collective intelligence: that is her guiding principle.

Learning Power… from the Shadows

Before becoming the Honourable Minister of Health, she observed power from within. Fifteen years accompanying elected officials, learning the invisible mechanics of governance.

“The public can never truly understand how tirelessly these people work. Politics is first and foremost about serving the public, which leaves little time for private life.”

There she learned a golden rule: one never governs alone.

“The quality of your teams will determine the quality of your decisions,” she says.

That sense of collective leadership shaped her path within Justin Trudeau’s team. In Papineau, the Prime Minister’s emblematic riding, she accepted the torch.

She was told she had “big shoes to fill.”

Her response - almost proverbial now - came instantly: “I wear a size 38, and I will wear my own shoes.”

A simple phrase. Yet a declaration of independence.

The Legacy of a Father

Behind the minister stands the daughter. Her father served as Prime Minister of Haiti from 1994 to 1995 under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He played a key role in the post-dictatorship political transition and in efforts to revive the economy after the restoration of constitutional order. He also transmitted to her a moral equation that is impossible to escape: privilege carries obligations.

“We were fortunate never to lack anything (…) and that privilege necessarily came with the responsibility to give back to the community. (…) What he passed on to me most precious are his values of justice, respect for differences, integrity, and the courage to stand up and defend them.”

Justice. Integrity. Respect for differences. The courage to stand up.

These values are not decorative—they structure each of her decisions.

Modernizing Without Renouncing

Canada’s health-care system is known to face long waiting times, particularly for surgeries, specialist consultations, and emergency care. It also suffers from a shortage of personnel - doctors and nurses - exacerbated by burnout. Access to care varies between provinces, creating regional inequalities, especially in rural areas.

At the head of the federal Ministry of Health, however, Marjorie Michel refuses catastrophic narratives.

“I do not believe the system needs to be repaired. It needs to be modernized to face new challenges.”

For her, “Canada has one of the most advanced health-care systems in the world, funded by public resources and governed by the Canada Health Act. But it is under pressure: an aging population, a shortage of professionals, the growing complexity of diseases, and addictions.”

Her role? Set the tone. Work with the provinces. Maintain equity. Preserve universal access.

“No Minister of Health in Canada has any privilege when it comes to health services. We are on waiting lists like everyone else. That is what guarantees equity,” she notes.

In a fractured world, that equality before care remains a democratic pillar.

Opening Difficult Conversations

One of her most daring initiatives is not a program but a conversation. In February 2026, the Honorable Marjorie Michel officially launched a national public dialogue to gather the views of Canadians on the challenges related to the physical and mental health of men and boys. This consultation is part of the process leading to the creation of Canada’s first National Strategy for Men’s and Boys’ Health, to be published later in 2026.

“I did not launch a program but rather open conversations about the health of men and boys. The government is inviting Canadians to submit comments through an online platform from March 2 to June 1, 2026, to better understand the needs and priorities regarding men’s mental health.”

The numbers speak for themselves: suicide rates three times higher than among women. Major addiction risks. Reluctance to seek help. Certain cancers, such as liver cancer, disproportionately affect men. The impact of social media appears particularly pronounced among boys and young men, she notes.

“As a society, we must address these issues with openness, empathy, and above all without prejudice.”

A minister who prefers to ask the right questions rather than impose answers - a rare trait.

Vigilance and Equity

Marjorie Michel does not politicize her identity. But neither does she deny it.

“As a Black minister, I have a deeper awareness than others of diseases affecting Black communities, such as sickle-cell anemia,” she says.

She hopes to stimulate research and improve access to treatment, reminding us that sickle-cell disease currently has the highest genetic prevalence in Canada.

In a world marked by instability, she also warns: “Every period of uncertainty further weakens the rights of women and minorities.”

For her, vigilance becomes a political duty.

Canada–Haiti: Lucidity Without Romanticism

She refuses simplistic comparisons between her country of birth and her country of adoption.

“I never compare these two countries, which have such different histories.”

But she states clearly that Canada remains - and will continue to be - a major partner of Haiti, provided that the priorities come from Haiti itself.

Living in the Present

When asked whether she measures the symbolic significance of her journey, she avoids any temptation toward self-celebration.

“That is not a question I ask myself. I live intensely in the present because it is in the present that I can act. As the Bible says: Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Perhaps this, in the end, is the mark of authentic leaders: acting without contemplating themselves.

In a world where power often oscillates between arrogance and cynicism, her trajectory reminds us of a forgotten truth: governing is serving.

*Journalist

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