July 22, 2005
For Immediate Release

News Release

Federal and provincial ministers convene local consultations to examine Public Health Goals for Canada

Iqualuit - Federal Minister of State (Public Health) Carolyn Bennett and Nunavut Health and Social Services Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, are holding a public health goals consultation today at the Frobisher Inn in Baffin Room from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The ministers are convening roundtable discussions with local public health stakeholders, experts and concerned citizens to examine how public health goals should be established in Canada. Minister Bennett and Manitoba Minister of Healthy Living, Theresa Oswald, are conducting a series of similar consultation roundtables across the country in an effort to make Canada the healthiest country in the world.

At the First Ministers' Meeting in September 2004, the prime minister and the premiers signed a 10-year action plan to pursue better health care for all Canadians. Part of this plan included a commitment to establish health goals to improve the health of Canadians and reduce the pressure on the health care system.

"Keeping as many Canadians healthy for as long as possible means looking beyond health departments to broader determinants of health, such as poverty, violence, environment, shelter, education and equity,” said Minister Bennett. "Involving Canadians in this process will ensure the goals we set will be relevant and responsive to increase our understanding of the complexity of health.”

Federal, provincial and territorial governments have agreed to work together to improve the health status of Canadians by developing public health goals. The goal-setting exercise will demonstrate work being done by all jurisdictions and provide a framework to help align efforts. Provincial and territorial health ministers will appoint representatives to a reference group to synthesize the roundtable results.

"The Government of Nunavut believes it is important to establish a solid set of public health goals,” said Minister Aglukkaq. We are pleased to host this ground-breaking roundtable discussion in this territory to ask how Canadians can pursue healthy practices before they get sick.”

Many provincial and territorial governments have identified public health goals for their jurisdictions. This process will build on this work and utilize the experience and knowledge of other countries that have established public health goals elsewhere.

"Only we can decide what the appropriate public health goals are for Canadians in the 21st century and the best approaches for arriving at them,” said Minister Oswald. "It is clear that whatever goals we finally adopt, all sectors of society must be intricately involved in the process and their adoption for them to be endorsed by Canadians.”

The consultations include roundtable meetings in each province and territory. Ministers Bennett and Oswald will host the roundtables with 25-35 public health stakeholders. A series of events will also be hosted across the country on specific public health themes that relate to the six new National Collaborating Centres for Public Health, as well as a possible youth summit.

A summary of this roundtable and others will be posted on the Public Health Goals for Canada web site at www.healthycanadians.ca. Additional information and an electronic survey on the Canada-wide consultation process are available on the web site, giving Canadians the opportunity to become directly involved in the process.

Elected officials, community groups and non-governmental organizations will also be provided with a public health goals consultation activity guide so they can host roundtables within their own communities.

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Backgrounder :

• Public Health Goals Consultations

Media Inquiries:

Jean-Mathieu Dion
Public Health Agency of Canada
Ottawa
(613) 948-7970

Tricia Geddes
Office of the Minister of State for Public Health, Carolyn Bennett
Ottawa
(613) 299-6940