Annual Report to the Minister of Health - 1999-2000
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Science Advisory Board (SAB) was established in 1997 to advise the
Minister of Health on the future direction of Health Canada's health protection
program.
Over the last three years, SAB has functioned as an arms-length body,
a blue-ribbon panel of scientists, health professionals, and consumer
advocates, who, upon review, have provided advice on all Health Canada's
health protection programs from food safety to environmental health risks,
and on its surveillance and regulatory capacity.
Our work has focussed on strengthening Health Canada's role in protecting
the health and safety of Canadians, while underlining the need for initiatives
that increase public awareness and confidence, and on giving the public
a voice.
Since my appointment as Chair of SAB in December 1997, it has been my
distinct pleasure to work with such a distinguished panel. I would like
to take the opportunity to provide you with our second annual report,
which briefly highlights the work of the Board for 1999-2000.
Excellence in Science
Since its inception, SAB has striven to promote the integrity, quality,
comprehensiveness, and leadership of science in Health Canada's Health
Protection Branch (HPB). Much of this year's work has focussed on areas
that are of concern to Canadians.
- One of the recommendations the Board has made to Health Canada is
the implementation of an External Peer Review process, a pilot project
in partnership with the Medical Research Council (MRC). Regular external
assessment of scientific activities within HPB will help strengthen
the credibility, independence, and currency of science performance.
HPB has taken on the task and is working with the MRC to implement a
pilot Peer Review project within the Branch.
- The Board has also done much work to endorse a close, collaborative
relationship between Health Canada and the Canadian Institutes for Health
Research (CIHR). A strong collaboration will not only facilitate exchanges
of expertise, research personnel, and facilities, but will also align
research with the health needs of Canadians, as well as provide innovation
and scientific excellence. Specifically, the Board has recommended that
representatives of Health Canada's research community participate in
relevant CIHR Advisory Board meetings, and in strategic initiatives
planning. The exchange of research personnel between HPB and CIHR, the
sharing of expertise, for example peer review, knowledge management,
and the use of the Winnipeg and Guelph facilities has also been encouraged.
- The future appointment of a Chief Scientist at Health Canada, one
of SAB's primary recommendations, shows the tangible commitment that
Health Canada has in implementing the Board's recommendations. The Chief
Scientist, once appointed, will carefully review and act on the advice
and views of HPB scientists on the pertinent issues within the program's
mandates.
- The Board has also recommended the application of directions from
the Report on Science Advice for Government Effectiveness, written by
the Federal Council of Science and Technology. This report provides
guidance on how to ensure that government decisions are based on sound
scientific advice. Specifically, the report presents a set of six key
science advice principles, which can improve science-based decision-making,
and provides the government with guidelines to facilitate the adoption
of the principles, how to implement them and to monitor their effectiveness.
Transition
The Board was created to provide ministerial advice during HPB's "Transition
Initiative". For this reason, the Transition Initiative's five core
elements have been, to some extent, the basis of our work. Legislative
renewal, program development, decision-making, surveillance, and the science
platform, have all been areas where SAB has provided analysis, critique,
and support.
- Surveillance: The transition initiative has been tasked to strengthen
and to expand HPB's overall surveillance capacity, and to support an
integrated health surveillance network for public health information
from the local to the global level. To that end, SAB has endorsed the
direction already taken by the Transition Surveillance team. Subsequently,
the proposal for a Network for Surveillance in Canada (NHSC) was formally
endorsed at the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Council of Deputy
Ministers of Health June 18 meeting in Charlottetown. The Health Surveillance
Working Group, representing members of the NHSC, has undertaken to complete
business and strategic plans that will guide the process of building
the network.
- Program Development: Transition Program development entails the establishment
of integrated and coordinated health programs. The Board has contributed
analysis and direction during the development of several new health
programs including HPB'sSafe and Nutritious Food Program, Environmental
Health Strategy, and Chronic Disease Control Programme.
- Science Platform: HPB has a tradition of strong scientific leadership.
It is the task of the Transition Science's core team to review how science
contributes to regulatory and public health functions, and how to strengthen
the integration of science activities into health protection policy,
risk management, and the decision-making process to create a solid,
scientific base on which to build. Recommendations, such as the External
Peer Review, and the collaborative relationship between Health Canada
and the CIHR show the Board's contribution to strengthening that foundation.
- Decision-making: It has been a mandate of the Board to recommend ways
of communicating to Canadians how decisions are made in HPB and how,
for example, potential conflict of interest is balanced with the primary
responsibility to health protection. Within the last two years, SAB
has strived to secure effective communication tools for explaining risk
decisionmaking to Canadians, a function which is being incorporated
into the revised Risk Management Framework.
- Legislative renewal: As the Transition Team updates and renews the
legislative framework for health protection, it has been the role of
the Board to sustain the message of accountability and transparency
at all levels, in support of the health of Canadians. The Transition
Team has recently prepared a detailed proposal for new health protection
legislation, which drew on the results of national consultations and
discussions with various stakeholders, including SAB. The proposal will
form part of a discussion paper, which will serve as the basis for a
second round of public consultations.
Communicating with Canadians
One of the most pervasive messages that we have put forth as a Board
throughout our tenure is the need for HPB to demonstrate clearly and consistently
its commitment to the health protection of Canadians, through communication,
integrity, and transparency.
Public Involvement, and the Transition initiative for public involvement,
including the Office of Consumer Affairs and Public Involvement that was
recently created, have been a major focus for SAB.
Public involvement does not only entail public consultation; it describes
a broad continuum of activities between the government and the public,
which includes joint decision-making, advisory committees, formal consultations
and dialogue, and public and government education.
Issues for the Millennium
As the membership of the Board changes, and the new millennium dawns,
challenging new issues will be addressed by SAB, concerns that are important
to Canadians, such as genetically modified foods, natural health products
and their regulation, and biotechnology. However, for the Board, certain
themes will remain at the forefront. It will be the quality, integrity,
comprehensiveness, currency of science, and the commitment of Health Canada
to its mandate of health protection, that will remain the underlying basis
of SAB's analysis, critique, and support.
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