Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

Overview

The CPHO position was created by Carolyn Bennett in her position as Minister of State for Public Health (Canada) in 2004, along with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Per the Public Health Agency of Canada Act (2006), the CPHO holds office "during pleasure for a term not exceeding five years". The CPHO can be reappointed for additional terms.

The CPHO is selected through an open and transparent national competitive process, and is appointed by the Governor-in-Council. The process is merit-based: as per the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, the CPHO must be a qualified public health professional.

Responsibilities

The CPHO is responsible for:

• Providing public health advice to the minister of health and to the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and, as appropriate, work with other federal departments and agencies, provincial/territorial governments, the international community, health practitioners and Canadians on public health issues;
• Giving the minister of health an annual report on Canadian public health;
• Providing leadership of the Public Health Agency of Canada;
• Taking a leadership/advocacy role in national public health matters and citizen engagement in public health;
• Taking accountability for health provisions related to official acts (eg. the Quarantine Act, the Department of Health Act, the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act); and
• Assuming the role of the federal government spokesperson on public health issues, in particular, during public health emergencies.

During public health emergencies, such as outbreaks or natural disasters, the CPHO is responsible for:

• Working with relevant professionals and officials to plan responses and to provide Canadians with information about plan outbreak responses and how to protect themselves;
• Providing briefings and advice to the president of the Public Health Agency, the minister of health, and others; and
• Communicating public health information to Canadians via different channels.

The chief public health officer was the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada until 2014, in which government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper reorganized the management structure of PHAC through a 2014 omnibus budget bill and instituted a parallel presidential-structure and position to govern the organization, that then could be staffed by non-medical and non-scientific personnel. The NDP health critic said at the time that: "To bury it in an omnibus bill says to me that they don't want people to know about it and they don't want questions," while Health Minister Rona Ambrose said that "the idea for the new structure came from the agency itself," which was led at the time on an interim basis for the previous 16 months by Gregory W. Taylor.

Areas of focus

2017–present

Former CPHO Theresa Tam released a vision statement in early 2018. She wishes to pay particular attention to the reduction of health discrepancies in the country, which includes collaborating with and reducing the socioeconomic gap of Indigenous Peoples. Her six areas of focus are currently:

1. The risks of antimicrobial resistance and the correct use of antibiotics;
2. Building healthy environments that reduce health discrepancies;
3. The championing of youth health;
4. The reduction of blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections;
5. The reduction of Tuberculosis in at-risk populations; and
6. Promoting education on substances (especially alcohol, opioids and marijuana), particularly their effects on youth

As CPHO, Tam wrote Fifteen years post-SARS: Key milestones in Canada's public health emergency response, in which she remarked somewhat presciently as it turns out that:

List of chief public health officers

Howard Njoo is the interim and present CPHO.

List of current provincial chief public health officers

Notes

References

References

1. The Globe and Mail. [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/top-doctor-theresa-tam-appointed-to-head-public-health-agency-of-canada/article35472115/ Chief Public Health Officer.] Accessed 29 June 2017.
2. Canada, Public Health Agency of. (2007-06-29). "The Role of the Chief Public Health Officer".
3. Branch, Legislative Services. (2015-02-05). "Consolidated federal laws of canada, Public Health Agency of Canada Act".
4. Canada, Public Health Agency of. (2017-06-25). "Government of Canada Appoints Chief Public Health Officer".
5. Branch, Legislative Services. (2015-02-05). "Consolidated federal laws of canada, Public Health Agency of Canada Act".
6. Canada, Public Health Agency of. (2007-06-29). "The Role of the Chief Public Health Officer".
7. (November 12, 2014). "Ottawa to limit power of Canada's top doctor". The Globe and Mail Inc.
8. Canada, Public Health Agency of. (2018-01-18). "Statement from Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada".
9. Canada, Public Health Agency of. (2018-06-26). "Health Equity Approach and Areas of Focus".
10. (2018). "Fifteen years post-SARS: Key milestones in Canada's public health emergency response". Canada Communicable Disease Report.
11. (2004-05-17). "Government of Canada Announces Details of New Public Health Agency of Canada and Appoints Acting Chief Public Health Officer". Government of Canada.
12. (19 September 2014). "Federal government hasn't filled top doctor's job, 15 months later". Ottawacitizen.
13. (14 December 2016). "Canada's top doctor Gregory Taylor retiring". CBC.
14. (15 December 2016). "Dr. Gregory Taylor retires: Country's top doctor gives final word to Canadians about their health". Global News.
15. (15 December 2016). "Dr. Gregory Taylor retires: Country's top doctor gives final word to Canadians about their health".
16. Britneff, Beatrice. (26 June 2017). "Politicos on the move: Feds appoint new chief public health officer".
17. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/organizational-structure/canada-chief-public-health-officer/interim.html
18. https://globalnews.ca/news/11138485/sunil-sookram-alberta-chief-medical-officer-of-health/