Public Health Agency of Canada

Did You Know?

• In 2020, the PHAC convened the COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group, an ad-hoc advisory committee that concluded its work on March 30, 2021, after which its statements were removed from the government website.
• The PHAC houses Canada's only Level 4 microbiology lab for human health at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

History

The PHAC was formed following official inquiries into the severe SARS crisis in Canada, including an Ontario inquiry and the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health, both of which recommended a new organization. It was created by Order in Council in 2004 under the Minister of State for Public Health of the Martin government, and later by legislation that came into force on December 15, 2006, under the Harper government. The agency is part of the federal Health Portfolio alongside Health Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Most initial staff came from Health Canada's Population and Public Health Branch and were housed in the former Gandalf Technologies building in Nepean, south of Ottawa. David Butler-Jones served as the first President and Chief Public Health Officer. During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, roughly 10% of Canadians were infected, with 363 confirmed deaths by December 8; Canada vaccinated a higher proportion of its citizens than any other country. A review document on the pandemic was issued in November 2010. The CPHO position was vacant for 16 months until Dr. Gregory W. Taylor was elevated on September 24, 2014, having filled the role on an interim basis. In November 2014, an omnibus budget bill under Stephen Harper's government reorganized PHAC's management, creating a separate Presidential structure that could be staffed by non-medical personnel. The NDP health criticized the change as buried in the bill, while Health Minister Rona Ambrose stated the idea came from the agency itself.

Responsibilities

The PHAC manages several systemic healthcare defences, including the National Emergency Stockpile System, National Antiviral Stockpile, Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Branch, Prion Diseases Program, Disease Control and Detection, Health Safety, Travel Alerts, Immunization and Vaccines, Emergency Preparedness, Health Promotion, Injury Prevention, Research and Statistics, and Health Education. It houses the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR), which handles health risks from natural disasters, accidents, and criminal or terrorist acts involving explosives, chemicals, radioactive substances, or biological threats. The agency also contains the Canadian Field Epidemiology Program and the Canadian Public Health Service. The Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System is located at its Ottawa headquarters. The Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR), a bilingual peer-reviewed journal on infectious diseases published since 1975, was first published by Health Canada and since 2004 by PHAC. As of May 2020, the Editor-in-Chief was Michel Deilgat; the previous editor from 2013 to 2019 was Patricia Huston.

Annual reports

The PHAC produces annual CPHO reports to the public and departmental results summaries for Parliament. The CPHO reports summarize evidence on high-priority public health issues and propose ways to improve Canadians' health. Recent reports include: October 2025, 'Working Together to Thrive: Well-Being and Public Health'; October 2024, 'Realizing the Future of Vaccination for Public Health'; October 2023, 'Creating the Conditions for Resilient Communities: A Public Health Approach to Emergencies'; October 2022, 'Mobilizing Public Health Action on Climate Change in Canada'; December 2021, 'A Vision to Transform Canada's Public Health System'; October 2020, 'From risk to resilience – An equity approach to COVID-19'; and December 2019, 'Addressing Stigma – Towards a More Inclusive Health System'. Earlier reports date back to June 2008, covering topics such as health inequalities, infectious disease, sex and gender, youth, and aging. The Departmental Results Reports are published alongside Financial Statements.