Whether it is spending on population health surveillance, disease prevention or health promotion, all have dropped significantly compared to what they would have been without the COVID-19 pandemic. These are the findings of a major CIRANO study (Ammi et al., 2024) based on rich population, demographic, socio-economic and epidemiological health data and rigorous econometric methods. While necessary, efforts to monitor emergencies and health risks and protect health have been at the expense of other public health actions. This could have a deleterious effect on the health of populations, and it is crucial to measure its extent.