SafekipediaPublic Health Agency of Canada
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; French: Agence de la santé publique du Canada, ASPC) is an agency of the Government of Canada. It helps keep people healthy and safe.
PHAC works on many important things. This includes public health, getting ready for and handling emergencies, and stopping infectious and chronic disease. They protect families and communities from health problems, both normal ones and big emergencies.
PHAC is different from Health Canada. Health Canada makes general health rules. PHAC gets ready for health emergencies and stops diseases from spreading. Their work is important for all Canadians.
History
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) was created after a serious health crisis in Canada called SARS. After learning from this crisis, leaders decided a new organization was needed to better protect public health. PHAC officially started in 2004 and became a full part of Canada’s health system in 2006.
In its early years, PHAC helped Canada prepare for and respond to health emergencies, like the 2009 swine flu pandemic. The agency worked to protect Canadians and vaccinated many people during that time. Over the years, PHAC has made changes to improve how it operates and protects public health.
COVID-19
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) helped lead Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, PHAC created a group of experts called the COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group. The group had scientists from universities across Canada. They gave advice on treating the illness, like which medicines were helpful and which were not. The group stopped working in March 2021, and their advice is no longer on the government website.
The group included:
- Marina Salvadori, Public Health Agency of Canada (Co-chair)
- Michael Rieder, University of Western Ontario (Co-chair)
- Marie Lordkipanidze, Université de Montréal
- Richard Hall, Dalhousie University
- Micheline Piquette-Miller, University of Toronto
- Abby Collier, University of British Columbia
- Srinivas Murthy, University of British Columbia
- Jonathan Kimmelman, McGill University
The group shared statements about COVID-19 treatments. They did not recommend using hydroxychloroquine but supported dexamethasone for very sick patients. For remdesivir, they said it should only be used in special research settings, called a clinical trial.
Organizational structure
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has two main leaders: the President and the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO). The government chooses the President for a five-year term. The government also chooses the CPHO, who is Canada’s top health expert. The CPHO gives advice to the Minister of Health and the President of PHAC.
The CPHO talks with groups such as governments, organizations, businesses, and Canadians about health. Each year, the CPHO sends a report to the Minister of Health about Canada’s public health.
Headquarters and leadership
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has its main office in two places. One is in Ottawa, and the other is the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This lab in Winnipeg is special because it is Canada's only Level 4 place for studying very dangerous germs. The leaders of PHAC, including the President and the Chief Public Health Officer, work in Ottawa. The President has a higher position than the Chief Public Health Officer.
| No. | CPHO | Appointed | Retired | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Butler-Jones | October 23, 2004 | June 2013 | Paul Martin |
| – | Gregory W. Taylor (interim) | June 2013 | October 2014 | Stephen Harper |
| 2 | Krista Outhwaite | October 24, 2014 | April 2016 | Stephen Harper |
| 3 | Siddika Mithani | April 11, 2016 | February 25, 2019 | Justin Trudeau |
| 4 | Kristina Namiesniowski | May 6, 2019 | September 2020 | Justin Trudeau |
| 5 | Iain Stewart | September 21, 2020 | October 2021 | Justin Trudeau |
| 6 | Harpreet S. Kochhar | 2021 | February 2023 | Justin Trudeau |
| 7 | Heather Jeffrey | February 27, 2023 | June 2025 | Justin Trudeau |
| 8 | Nancy Hamzawi | June 20, 2025 | Mark Carney |
Responsibilities
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) helps keep people healthy and safe. It manages important supplies for emergencies, like medicines and tools for treating diseases. PHAC works to stop the spread of diseases, keeps health information safe, and prepares for emergencies.
PHAC looks after health safety during travel, helps with vaccines, and promotes healthy living. It also studies health issues and teaches people about staying healthy. The agency has special teams for emergency readiness and for studying diseases that can spread between people. PHAC monitors certain diseases to make sure they are under control and watches for any problems after people get vaccines.
Annual reports
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) makes many reports each year. These reports share important ideas to help keep people healthy and safe.
CPHO reports
Each year, the Chief Public Health Officer writes reports for everyone. These reports discuss big health topics and ways to help all Canadians stay healthy.
Departmental results
You can find the Departmental Results Reports with money reports.
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Public Health Agency of Canada, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.