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	The Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy - approved by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health at their annual Conference, held on October 22 and 23, 2005 in Toronto, Ontario.

Welcome to the website of the Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy - approved by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health at their annual Conference, held on October 22 and 23, 2005 in Toronto, Ontario.

The Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy

The Healthy Living Strategy provides a conceptual framework for sustained action based on Healthy Living. It envisions a healthy nation in which all Canadians experience the conditions that support the attainment of good health. The goals of the Strategy are to improve overall health outcomes and to reduce health disparities. Grounded in a population health approach, the initial emphasis is on healthy eating, physical activity, and their relationship to healthy weights.

Included in the Strategy are pan-Canadian healthy living targets - which seek to obtain a 20% increase in the proportion of Canadians who are physically active, eat healthy and are at healthy body weights. While ambitious, these targets can be achieved through collaborative action and will serve to sustain momentum from the 10 percentage point, year 2010 physical activity target set by Ministers responsible and for Physical Activity, Recreation and Sport in 2003.

While the Healthy Living goals and targets provide a standard reference point for all sectors to measure the success of their own strategies and interventions, to be successful, coordinated effort is required. Proposed action has developed through intersectoral working groups, and will be considered in the implementation of the Strategy.

The Strategy offers a means to ensure greater alignment, coordination and direction for all sectors, and provides a forum for multiple players to align efforts and to work collaboratively to address common risk factors. This integration ensures that stakeholders are better and more broadly informed, thereby facilitating greater synergy and improved identification of opportunities across sectors. The intersectoral nature of the Healthy Living Strategy also provides a national context and reference point for all sectors, governments and Aboriginal organizations to measure success of their own strategies and interventions.

The Strategy is a culmination of three years of consultation and input from a wide variety of people and organizations across all sectors. The following groups made the development of this Strategy possible:

• The Healthy Living Task Group
• F-P/T Advisory Committee on Population Health and Healthy Security
• The Coordinating Committee of the Intersectoral Healthy Living Network
• The Priorities and Objectives Working Group
• The Public Information Working Group
• The Research and Surveillance Working Group
• The Intersectoral Fund Working Group

Background / Timelines

• Each year in Canada, more than three-quarters of deaths result from four groups of non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory. Risk factors that lead to these diseases, such as physical inactivity and unhealthy eating, are growing, particularly among some vulnerable groups
• In September 2002, the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (F/P/T) Ministers of Health agreed to work together on an Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy. The goals of the Strategy are to improve overall health outcomes and to reduce health disparities by addressing the common preventable risk factors - namely physical inactivity and unhealthy eating.. The Strategy aims at targeting all Canadians with a special focus on children and youth, Aboriginal peoples and other vulnerable groups.
  
• A consultation process was undertaken throughout 2003 and included:
  • Four pre-consultation meetings,
  • Nine Strategic Roundtables,
  • An online consultation workbook,
  • A national level Healthy Living Symposium, and
  • Further meetings with key representative stakeholder groups.
    
• In September, 2003 the F/P/T Ministers of Health endorsed the Healthy Living Strategy Framework and five action items, which included:
  • Creation of an Intersectoral Healthy Living Network;
  • Action in the areas of research, surveillance, and best practices;
  • Exploration of options and models for an Intersectoral Fund;
  • Exploration of options for a communications/health information strategy; and,
  • Further dialogue with Aboriginal stakeholders.
    
• In September 2004, First Ministers highlighted the importance of efforts to address prevention, promotion and public health, and the sustainability of the health system. First Ministers committed to working across sectors through the Strategy's framework on initiatives such as Healthy Schools (schools are one of the key settings of the framework to address concerns related to healthy living among Canadian children and youth).
  
• The Coordinating Committee of the Intersectoral Healthy Living Network was launched September 22 - 24, 2004. It is being lead by co-chairs representing Federal /Provincial /Territorial governments and the non-profit sector. It will act as an engine to move the Healthy Living agenda forward and ensure the guiding principles of the Network and Strategy are upheld.
  
• Under the guidance of the Coordinating Committee, four Working Groups were established, composed of members from Federal /Provincial /Territorial networks, the private sector and non-profit organizations. The four groups and their functions are as follows:
• Social Marketing / Public Information Working Group - Developing a social marketing campaign with consistent, universal and targeted messaging on Healthy Living.
• Priorities and Objectives Working Group - Developing specific objectives, targets, performance indicators and evaluation frameworks for the Strategy.
• Research and Surveillance Working Group - Developing an integrated research agenda and identifying best practice and surveillance activities for the Strategy.
• Intersectoral Fund Working Group - Exploring options and models for an Intersectoral Fund.
• The second meeting of the Coordinating Committee for the Intersectoral Healthy Living Network (IHLN) took place in Ottawa on April 7 and 8, 2005. The purpose of this meeting was to provide members with the opportunity to contribute to specific elements of the Healthy Living Strategy.
  
• Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health approved the Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy at their annual Conference, held on October 22 and 23, 2005 in Toronto, Ontario.