Health Canada

The department is responsible to Parliament through the minister of health as part of the federal health portfolio. The deputy minister of health, the senior most civil servant within the department, is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and operations of the department and reports directly to the minister.

Originally created as the "Department of Health" in 1919—in the wake of the Spanish flu crisis—what is known as Health Canada today was formed in 1993 from the former Health and Welfare Canada department (established in 1944), which split into two separate units; the other department being Human Resources and Labour Canada.

Organization

Health Canada's leadership consists of:

• Minister of Health
• Deputy Minister

Branches

The following branches, offices, and bureaus (and their respective services) fall under the jurisdiction of Health Canada:

• Health Canada
  • Office of Audit and Evaluation
    • Departmental Audit Committee
    • Director General / Chief Audit Executive's Office
    • Internal Audit and Special Examinations
    • Program Evaluation Division
    • Performance Measurement Planning and Integration
    • Practice Management
  • Chief Financial Officer Branch
    • Departmental Performance Measurement and Evaluation Directorate
    • Departmental Resource Management Directorate
    • Financial Operations Directorate
    • Internal Control Division
    • Materiel and Assets Management Directorate
    • Planning and Corporate Management Practices Directorate
  • Communications and Public Affairs Branch
    • Ethics and Internal Ombudsman Services
    • Marketing and Communications Services Directorate
    • Planning and Operations Division
    • Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Directorate
    • Stakeholder Relations and Consultation Directorate
  • Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch
  • Corporate Services Branch
  • Health Products and Food Branch
    • Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate
    • Food Directorate
    • Marketed Health Products Directorate
    • Medical Devices Directorate
    • Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate
    • Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion
    • Policy, Planning and International Affairs Directorate
    • Resource Management and Operations Directorate
    • Therapeutic Products Directorate
    • Veterinary Drugs Directorate
  • Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
    • Consumer and Hazardous Products Safety Directorate
    • Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate
    • Pesticides Regulatory Directorate
    • Policy Planning and Integration Directorate
    • Safe Environments Directorate
      • Climate Change and Innovation Bureau
      • Water and Air Quality Bureau
      • New Substances Assessment and Control Bureau
      • Existing Substances Risk Assessment Bureau
  • Health Policy Branch
  • Legal Services
  • Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch

Partner agencies

In their responsibility of maintaining and improving the health of Canadians, the Minister of Health is supported by the Health Portfolio, which comprises Health Canada as well as:

• Public Health Agency of Canada;
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research;
• the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board; and
• the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch

Established in 2016, the Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch provides support to Health Canada by enforcing the laws and regulations pertaining to the production, distribution, importation, sale, and/or use of consumer products, including but not limited to: tobacco, pest control materials, drugs and medical devices, biologics, and natural health products.

The Inspectorate conducts inspections and investigations to ensure that products are safe, of good quality, and properly labelled and distributed, in order to better protect Canadians from potentially harmful products and consumables.

The branch provides regulatory oversight for a variety of product categories, including:

• cannabis
• medical devices
• biological products
• controlled substances
• pesticides control products
• tobacco and vaping products
• drugs for humans and animals
• consumer and natural health products

Canada Vigilance Program

Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program (CVP) "collects and assesses reports of suspected adverse reactions to health products marketed in Canada," including prescription and over-the-counter medications, natural health products, biotechnology products, vaccines, blood products, human cell products, human tissue products, human organs, disinfectants and radiopharmaceuticals. The program has been in effect since 1965.

Pharmacovigilance related to Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) is a shared responsibility between Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.