Canada's Performance 2005: The Government of Canada's Contribution

2. Canada's Social Foundations

Introduction

From coast to coast to coast, Canadian communities contribute to the social, economic, environmental, and cultural vitality of Canadian society. A strong and vibrant society can be described as one that is safe, sustains elements of cohesiveness, maintains and improves the health of its citizens, and dynamically promotes culture, arts, and values.

Canada's democratic tradition has enabled the development of a modern, open, and multicultural society that many countries now look to as an example. Canada's social well-being and economic prosperity is directly influenced by the vitality of its communities and the participation of its citizens. In a country as diverse socially, geographically, and economically as Canada, the federal government plays an important role in enabling this vitality.

Other key values that secure Canada's social foundations and national identity include linguistic duality, respect for multiculturalism and diversity, gender equality, human rights, equal opportunity and fairness, and respect for peace, the rule of law, and the environment. Intercultural understanding and creative expression are also important factors in building a cohesive country.

The Government of Canada's role in Canada's social foundations

The Government of Canada works with the provinces, territories, municipalities, and partners to strengthen Canada's social foundations in areas such as public safety, public infrastructure, early learning and childhood development, public health, social inclusion, and funding for culture, arts, and heritage. The Government of Canada establishes and enforces laws that keep Canadians safe, regulate Canadian society, and protect disadvantaged groups in Canadian communities. Providing individuals, families, and communities with the supports they need in order to reach their full potential and contribute positively and meaningfully to society also strengthens Canada's social foundations.

Collaboration between federal, provincial, and territorial governments is essential to Canada's health care system as each plays key roles in Canada's renewed commitment to provide Canadians with an enhanced, publicly funded health system that can cope with the breadth of health issues. The federal government's responsibilities on this matter are divided into five broad areas:

• promoting strategies to improve the health of the population (prevention and control of disease and injury, health promotion, research, management of public health emergencies, etc.);
• supporting the health care system by setting and administering national principles or standards under the Canada Health Act and assisting in the financing of provincial and territorial health care services through fiscal transfers;
• protecting the health of Canadians by working with others to ensure that Canadians have accurate, timely health information on which to base decisions (e.g. monitoring safety of the Canadian food supply by recalls and allergy alerts, monitoring the air quality and its effect on human health, and posting smog alerts);
• delivering primary and supplementary direct health services to specific groups, including veterans, military personnel, inmates of federal penitentiaries, refugee claimants, serving members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as First Nations and Inuit communities; and
• representing Canada in international forums on global health initiatives and participating in multinational efforts to eradicate disease, improve health, and reduce risk.

In addition to federal efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and provide health care services, the Government of Canada's initiatives include a spectrum of social programs that strengthen Canada's social foundations, such as the inclusion of Canadians with disabilities in their communities, immigration settlements, and the effective evaluation and granting of Canadian citizenship. Funding of public and voluntary sector organizations, finding ways of attracting and maintaining immigrants in Francophone minority communities, and increased support for community-based social and economic development are also important initiatives undertaken by the Government of Canada. For more information, see the text box on sustainable cities and communities at the end of this chapter.

The government continually reiterates its engagement in supporting Canada's culture and heritage by encouraging excellence among Canada's artists and citizens and providing cultural industries with the means to prosper in the 21st century.

The Government of Canada also works in partnership with volunteers, academics, governments, and community organizations on ways to prevent crimes by investing in approaches that help stakeholders deal with the underlying causes of crime and victimization, such as family violence, gang recruitment, or substance abuse.

This chapter tracks the Government of Canada's contribution to four outcomes related to Canada's social foundations:

1. healthy Canadians with access to quality health care;

2. an inclusive society that promotes linguistic duality and diversity;

3. a vibrant Canadian culture and heritage; and

4. safe and secure communities.

Supplemental Information

Early childhood development

Performance context

To set its programs, expenditures, and performance in context, the Government of Canada is tracking key measures of long-term progress in the area of healthy Canadians with access to quality health care. In the electronic version of the report, clicking on indicators in the Performance Highlight table will lead you to detailed information about current performance and trends.

Note: The legend summarizing the symbols used in the table above can be found in the introduction, on page 2.

The Government of Canada's contribution to healthy Canadians with access to quality health care

A healthy population is fundamental in securing Canada's social foundations, and while the majority of Canadians are healthier than ever before, such progress is not even and major disparities still exist. Canada's universal health care system exists to safeguard and improve the health of all Canadians, giving concrete expression to the principles of fairness and equity that define the Canadian identity.

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely absence of disease. Many factors can influence health, such as nutrition, physical activity, or physical environment. There are strong links between environmental degradation and health problems. Canadians are affected every day by pollutants from many sources and in many different forms.

Responsibility for public health and access to quality health care services is shared among federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal governments. An effective health care system also requires the collaboration of multiple sectors, such as health, agriculture, and environment, and the active participation of individuals, community groups, non-governmental organizations, business, and public sector agencies (e.g. schools).

To support the population's health activities and protect the health of Canadians, the Government of Canada employs strategies in multiple domains, such as health promotion, disease prevention, protection, surveillance, emergency response, and population health assessment. For example, Budget 2005 has built on the initial investment to the Public Health Agency of Canada by providing $300.0 million over five years for the Integrated Strategy on Healthy Living and Chronic Disease. The government also supported the establishment of six National Collaborating Centres for Public Health to provide national focal points for the study of key priority areas in public health and to contribute to the development of a pan-Canadian public health capacity. These centres will emphasize collaboration and translation of knowledge into practical public health strategies. They will focus on the determinants of health, public policy and risk assessment, infrastructure, infostructure (systems of information and communications technologies), infectious diseases, environmental health, and the development of new tools. Budget 2005 also included $90.0 million to accelerate health assessments under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to reduce Canadian exposure to toxic substances.

Canada's publicly funded system of health care instils great pride among Canadians, while at the same time generating concerns about its current and future effectiveness. On September 16, 2004, the Prime Minister and all premiers and territorial leaders signed the 10-year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, which will lead to better health care for all Canadians. This agreement addresses Canadians' priorities for sustaining and renewing the health care system and also provides long-term funding to make those reforms a reality. It responds directly to the government's priorities of reducing wait times and improving access to health care services.

With Budget 2005, the government announced $41.3 billion in additional federal funding in support of the 10-year Plan. The new funding will be used to strengthen ongoing federal health support provided to provinces and territories through the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). This funding will allow governments to plan far ahead, to build with confidence, and to invest with certainty in renewal and positive change. Furthermore, Budget 2005 committed a total of $200.0 million over five years to support health care professionals, reduce wait times, and improve health performance reporting. Continued investments for wait time reductions, coupled with the new CHT base of $19.0 billion, mean that total federal cash transfers in support of health care are scheduled to nearly double over a 10-year period, from $16.3 billion in 2004-05 to $30.5 billion in 2013-14.

Several departments, agencies, and Crown corporations contribute to healthy Canadians with access to quality health care through their respective departmental strategic outcomes or Crown mission statements. Clicking on the links in the electronic version of the following table will lead you to planning, performance, and resource information, which is contained in the organizations' departmental performance reports and reports on plans and priorities as well as in the Annual Report to Parliament on Crown Corporations and Other Corporate Interests of Canada. The Strategic Outcomes Database, which can be found at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/krc/cp-rc_e.asp, also leads to relevant audits and evaluations.

Supplemental Information

Health promotion

Prevention

Protection

Surveillance

Health assessment

Environment and its impact on health