October 20, 2005
For Immediate Release

Backgrounders
	Overview
	Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention and Enhanced Surveillance
	Healthy Living
	Integrated Cancer Funding
	New Federal Investments in Cancer Control
	Diabetes
	Cardiovascular Disease
	Mental Health

Federal Government Announces $300 Million for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

OTTAWA - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh today announced the components of the $300 million Integrated Strategy on Healthy Living and Chronic Disease, an historically important investment in health promotion and disease prevention for Canada.

This new funding will address healthy eating, physical activity, and healthy weights - the key risk factors for some of the leading, preventable chronic diseases - and is balanced by complementary disease-specific investments for cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Canada now joins countries from around the world in an innovative and integrated approach to combat major preventable chronic diseases, an approach endorsed by the World Health Organization and by every government of Canada in the First Minister's Health Agreement of September 2004.

"This integrated and collaborative approach will address the needs of Canadians across the health continuum - from healthy to high-risk people to those living with chronic disease," said Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh. "The investment in the Integrated Strategy builds on existing multi-year federal investments to control chronic diseases, including a billion dollars that is currently being invested to combat cancer. The Strategy also builds on the $41 billion additional federal investment in health care made in the Ten Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care agreed to by all First Ministers in September of 2004."

"Health promotion and chronic disease prevention are key to making Canada one of the healthiest nations in the world," said Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State (Public Health). "The Integrated Strategy on Healthy Living and Chronic Disease also contributes to the sustainability of the health care system, by working to reduce the burden of disease in Canada."

The Integrated Strategy represents a new way of working with a diversity of partners, since improved collaboration among organizations, jurisdictions and sectors (and within sectors) is critical. With better engagement, the Integrated Strategy is intended to positively influence individual and community capacity. Enhanced capacity at various levels is expected to contribute to stronger public policies and more integrated, evidence-based and responsive health systems.

The $300 million over five years and $74.4 million per year ongoing is allocated in the following fashion:

• $56.05 million over five years and $13.7 million per year ongoing for federal investment in the Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy;
• $34.55 million over five years and $8.5 million per year ongoing for integrated chronic disease prevention;
• $36.5 million over five years and $10.5 million per year ongoing for Enhanced Surveillance for Chronic Disease;
• $90 million over five years and $18 million per year ongoing for the renewal and enhancement of the Canadian Diabetes Strategy;
• $59.5 million over five years and $17.5 million per year ongoing for new federal investment in the Canadian Strategy on Cancer Control;
• $18.9 million over five years and $5.2 million per year ongoing to support the development and establishment of a Canadian cardiovascular strategic framework and action plan;
• $4.5 million over five years and $1 million per year ongoing to begin to determine gaps in current knowledge and capacity in mental health.

"Because major chronic diseases share common risk factors, an integrated approach is the most effective and practical way to seek to prevent these diseases and to advance health promotion," said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer. "The integrated strategy also allows for disease-specific approaches where applicable."

Scientific evidence demonstrates, for example, that healthy eating and physical activity and healthy weights protect against many chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease and stroke as well as diabetes, so it makes sense to bring health promotion and disease prevention efforts together. By working together across jurisdictions, across sectors and across diseases, greater impacts can be achieved.

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Backgrounders

• Overview
• Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention and Enhanced Surveillance
• Healthy Living
• Integrated Cancer Funding
• New Federal Investments in Cancer Control
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Mental Health

Media Inquiries:

Julian Beltrame
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 954-8528

Michael Tansey
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 948-7970