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69-860: Incorporated in 2000, NAHO received core funding from Health Canada to undertake knowledge-based activities such as education, research and knowledge dissemination. With Aboriginal communities as its primary focus, NAHO used both traditional Aboriginal and contemporary Western healing and wellness approaches. NAHO defined "Aboriginal Peoples" using the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982 , sections 25 and 35 , to consist of three groups – Indian ( First Nations ), Inuit , and Métis . Its main objectives were to improve and promote Aboriginal health, understanding of health issues affecting Aboriginal Peoples and research, foster participation of Aboriginal Peoples in delivery of health care, and affirm and protect Aboriginal traditional healing practices. NAHO

138-472: A Health Canada -approved vaccine. Public servants were required to attest their vaccination status to their employers by October 29 of that year, with managers able to ask their employees to submit proof where necessary. Any public servants refusing to get vaccinated would be subject to disciplinary actions after October 29, with non-compliant employees subject to being placed on administrative leave without pay. Those placed on administrative leave without pay as

207-470: A Board of Examiners for the Civil Service. The role of the board would be to examine "candidates for employment in the Civil Service" and "to grant certificates of qualification to those found to possess the moral character and fitness required for service". Following Canadian Confederation , Prime Minister John A. Macdonald 's government sought to improve the quality and rigor of appointments with

276-406: A complete overhaul of the enabling legislation for the civil service. The Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) and Public Service Staff Relations Act (PSSRA) were introduced to grant more authority to the renamed Public Service Commission to enforce the merit principle, and established a framework for collective bargaining in the public service. The passage of PSEA and PSSRA also saw the repeal of

345-409: A degree of political neutrality, which restricts their ability to participate in overtly partisan activities. Unlike political staff, who are often hired through patronage , public servants are appointed on the basis of the merit, often through a competitive examination. The duties of public servants and their relationship to the political executive is often captured by scholars and public servants in

414-450: A new Civil Service Act , representing the first major update to the legislation since 1918. The new legislation enshrined into law the requirement for government to negotiate with labour unions regarding terms and conditions of employment. Furthermore, it expanded coverage of appeal mechanisms from civil servants from decisions relating to promotions, to other issues, such as transfers, demotions, suspensions, and dismissals. Earlier in 1960,

483-542: A new definition of 'merit', pivoting away from a rules-based determination of 'best qualified', and enabling managers to hire employees on the basis of 'best fit' within their organization. Furthermore, the legislation transferred authority over recruitment from the Public Service Commission over the deputy heads of individual departments and agencies. Beginning in 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper 's government began plans to modernize and consolidate

552-522: A number of conferences related to Aboriginal health. The Journal of Aboriginal Health is a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal on Aboriginal health published by the National Aboriginal Health Organization of Canada. It was established in 2004 and publishes original research, editorials, and suggestions for further reading. Each issue of the journal has a guest editor who solicits appropriate papers from

621-485: A number of employment equity initiatives. In 1983, a dedicated Women's Career Counselling and Referral Service was created to help with career development for women, and prepare them for senior management roles. That same year, a National Indigenous Development Program was formed, and sought to build on previous efforts to recruit more Indigenous people to the public service. A year later, the Equality Now! report from

690-521: A pension system for civil servants and to promote a career civil service. The Great Depression brought about a significant economic downturn in Canada, culminating in high unemployment and business failures across the country. As a result, government revenue dropped significantly, prompting the federal government, through the Treasury Board to move forward with cutbacks to the operating costs of

759-525: A report on CBC Television questioned the safety of drugs sold in North America . The Canadian Press reported that Health Canada is secretive regarding inspections about drugs manufactured overseas, leaving the public unsure about the safety of these drugs. Health Canada aims to provide responses to pharmaceutical innovators within 300 days of submitting a drug for review. However, for submissions filed between 2015 and 2019, only 33 percent received

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828-501: A response within that target. Fully 18 percent waited over a year, and almost 5 percent over two years. The average delay for a standard review was 335 days. Health Canada's accelerated pathway for approval dubbed "conditional compliance" reduces its target timeline to 200 days, but its actual average delay was still 302 days, and only 8 percent of applicants received responses within the 200-day target. It has been suggested that government entities should make use of rolling submissions, as

897-459: A result of non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate are ineligible to collect Employment Insurance (EI). Several public sector unions expressed concern over not being consulted sufficiently by the federal government prior to the announcement of the measure. In June 2022, the federal government suspended the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal public servants. In December 2022,

966-690: A resurgence of patronage appointments. Prime Minister Robert Borden 's government made eliminating patronage and reforming the civil service as key priorities for his government, culminating in the Civil Service Act , 1918, which in addition to granting the CSC with greater authority to set the organization of departments, position classifications, and recommend pay scales to Cabinet, the legislation set clear restrictions on outside political activity by public servants, including prohibitions on participating on campaigning or handling party funds. Importantly,

1035-582: A three-member Board of Civil Service Examiners. This newly-created board tested candidates on their academic knowledge, with successful candidates proceeding to a selection examination. In 1908, the intensity of scandals and inefficiencies associated with the civil service prompted Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier 's government to enact the Civil Service Amendment Act, which embodied a significant step toward an independent, politically neutral, and professional civil service. The CSAA created

1104-432: A variety of healthcare , agricultural , and pharmaceutical activities. This responsibility also involves extensive collaboration with various other federal- and provincial-level organizations in order to ensure the safety of food, health, and pharmaceutical products—including the regulation of health research and pharmaceutical manufacturing / testing facilities. The department is responsible to Parliament through

1173-687: A variety of perspectives. Health Canada Health Canada ( HC ; French : Santé Canada, SC ) is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for national health policy . The department itself is also responsible for numerous federal health-related agencies, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), among others. These organizations help to ensure compliance with federal law in

1242-480: Is a shared responsibility between Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada . Acts for which Health Canada has total or partial responsibility: Acts which Health Canada is involved or has special interest in: Health Canada has a special access program that health care providers may use to request medications that are not currently commercially available in Canada. The chief medical advisor of Health Canada, Supriya Sharma, as of April 2021, oversees

1311-564: Is divided into six distinct programs: Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program (CVP) "collects and assesses reports of suspected adverse reactions to health products marketed in Canada," including prescription and over-the-counter medications , natural health products , biotechnology products , vaccines , blood products , human cell products , human tissue products, human organs , disinfectants and radiopharmaceuticals . The program has been in effect since 1965. Pharmacovigilance related to Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI)

1380-737: The Financial Administration Act ( FAA ) , primarily consisting of ministerial departments and departmental agencies such as Global Affairs Canada and the Correctional Service of Canada , and Separate Agencies, which are listed under schedule V of the FAA , which includes organizations such as the Canada Revenue Agency and Parks Canada . The Clerk of the Privy Council is the head of

1449-960: The COVID-19 vaccine approval process in Canada. On 29 March 2021, Sharma supported the National Advisory Committee on Immunization 's declaration of a pause for the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canadians under the age of 55. An editorial published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal has called for Health Canada to more strictly regulate natural health products . The editorial cited weaknesses in current legislation that allow natural health products to make baseless health claims, to neglect side-effects research prior to products reaching market, and to be sold without being evaluated by Health Canada. On 10 September 2012,

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1518-650: The Canadian Armed Forces are often mistaken as being part of the public service, they are generally considered to be separate entities owing to their greater freedom from direct political control. Public service organizations are categorized under the following designations, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act In most ministerial departments and certain agencies, such as the Canada Revenue Agency,

1587-459: The Civil Service Act , 1961 and amendments to the FAA. With the emergence of new social programs, and Canada's growing populations, the public service grew from around 198,000 in 1970 to 274,000 by 1975. However, austerity-driven cutbacks beginning in 1978 would see around 7,000 public servants let go by 1979. In 1979, the bilingualism bonus was introduced for employees with proven capabilities to communicate in both English and French. In 1971,

1656-475: The Civil Service Commission (CSC), a body consisting of two commissioners appointed for an indefinite period, and tasked with enforcing a merit-based appointment process for civil service positions in and around Ottawa. The onset of World War I brought about a significant growth in the population of the civil service to support Canada's war effort. At the same time, this period brought about

1725-603: The Government of Canada 's departments, agencies, and other public bodies. While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants to support its functions since Confederation in 1867, positions were initially filled through patronage until 1908, when the Laurier government enacted the Public Service Amendment Act , which established the merit-based appointment system which governs hiring within

1794-564: The Public Service Modernization Act was passed by the Chrétien government, becoming the first of several pieces of legislation to update the staffing and personnel management practices of the public service. This Act would fundamentally change how public servants were hired and managed. Complementary legislation, in the form of an updated Public Service Employment Act came in 2005. The new PSEA notably introduced

1863-664: The Union of Taxation Employees three days later on April 15. This strike, which began on April 19, saw an estimated 100,000 workers walk off the job for 12 days, with the UTE striking for 15 days. Tentative agreements were reached for Treasury Board units on May 1 and CRA units on May 3 respectively. TBS went on to revise the direction on hybrid work to increase the minimum number of expected onsite days for employees from 2 to 3 days in May 2024, with full implementation by September 9. This decision

1932-711: The epigram "fearless advice and loyal implementation", which denotes the ability for public servants to provide honest, evidence-based advice to the Ministers without fear of losing their employment, while also dutifully carrying out the will of the sitting government, even if it runs counter to their own advice or personal values. The Public Service of Canada is organized into 137 distinct organizations, including 23 ministerial departments, 3 service agencies, 17 departmental corporations, 50 departmental agencies, 12 special operating agencies, and 6 agents of Parliament. Although Crown corporations and other federal interests such as

2001-414: The minister of health —presently Mark Holland —as part of the federal health portfolio. The minister is aided by the associate minister of health , and minister of mental health and addictions —presently Ya'ara Saks . The deputy minister of health, the senior most civil servant within the department, is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and operations of the department and reports directly to

2070-571: The Ajunnginiq Centre), and the Métis Centre. They advanced health and well-being by focusing on the distinct needs of their respective populations and promoting culturally relevant approaches to health care. NAHO had a number of projects that addressed Aboriginal health care issues including suicide prevention , healthy living, midwifery , and traditional health and healing. It also publishes research on its Web site, and presents at

2139-872: The American-based company Emergent Biosolutions , a global specialty biopharmaceutical company. The PHAC has identified botulism as a likely biological terrorist threat. The Compliance and Enforcement Directorate provides support to Health Canada by enforcing the laws and regulations pertaining to the production, distribution, importation, sale, and/or use of consumer products, including but not limited to: tobacco , pest control materials , drugs and medical devices , biologics , and natural health products. The Directorate conducts inspections and investigations to ensure that products are safe, of good quality, and properly labelled and distributed, in order to better protect Canadians from potentially harmful products and consumables. Compliance and Enforcement Directorate

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2208-428: The CSC serve as the intermediary between the government and employees with respect to addressing issues. These proposals did not satisfy the staff associations, who felt that the CSC and the government should not have the final word over pay rates. In 1963, Prime Minister Lester Pearson 's government appointed a Preparatory Committee for Collective Bargaining (PCCB), to facilitate negotiations between labour unions and

2277-470: The CSC was already well positioned to look out for the welfare of federal employees. Coinciding with this movement, the CSC established the Pay Research Bureau, which was tasked with researching pay and conditions of employment across Canada, and recommending appropriate pay rates for civil servants. The St. Laurent government initially established a committee of senior officials to determine

2346-485: The Present State and Probable Requirements of the Civil Service was established, publishing three reports which called on the government to organize the civil service into departments, introduce a single job classification system, and require candidates to pass an entrance examination. An additional commission, convened in 1880, resulted in the Civil Service Act , which formalized an examination process overseen by

2415-573: The Privy Council Office, Treasury Board, and other departments launched a new renewal initiative, Destination 2020, which focused on a five-pronged plan to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the public service by 2020, focusing on the adoption of innovative practices, process renewal, the deployment of new technology, and promoting the values of the public service. In January 2016, the Phoenix pay system began to be rolled out across

2484-790: The Public Service Commission created the Office of Equal Opportunity for Women to boost women's participation in the public service, a result of the report Sex and the Public Service, and the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, both issued in 1970. This built on anti-discrimination provisions woven into the PSEA, which listed sex as a prohibited ground of discrimination for public service hiring. This would be complemented by

2553-664: The Public Service, and is the most senior public servant within the Canadian federal government. John Hannaford has served as the Clerk since June 24, 2023, replacing Janice Charette who had retired. Prior to introduction of responsible government in 1848, the Province of Canada , then a British colonial possession lacked an organized civil service. Positions in the colonial administration were then largely filled through patronage , with appointments almost exclusively controlled by

2622-568: The Special Committee on Visible Minorities established a dedicated recruitment program to encourage members of visible minority communities secure positions within the federal workforce. The 1980s and 1990s would see a transformation and renewal of various aspects of the public service, including new executive recruitment mechanisms, and updates to the operational systems across government. The Public Service Reform Act passed in 1992 under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney 's government At

2691-467: The Treasury Board as a formal entity, consisting of the president of the Treasury Board and four other Cabinet members, and the creation of the position of Secretary of the Treasury Board, a senior civil servant who advises the members of the Treasury Board on their decisions. The FAA designated the Treasury Board as the final authority over all matters relating to the management and organization of

2760-418: The Treasury Board for civil service positions. Given the Treasury Board's ability to enforce fiscal discipline, and its composition by members of Cabinet, it could more easily resist efforts to increase the size of the civil service, particularly during periods of economic hardship. With the outbreak of World War II , Canada, as a Commonwealth nation and former British possession, was immediately thrust into

2829-546: The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat directed departments and agencies to have employees attend work onsite at least 2 to 3 days per week, with a phased introduction beginning in January 2023 and with full implementation by the end of March 2023. Return-to-office, alongside wage increases to keep pace with rising inflation, became significant issues in labour negotiations between Public Service Alliance of Canada and TBS. PSAC members voted to strike on April 12, followed by

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2898-532: The Treasury Board over employment contracts. The Committee recommended streamlining the hundreds of position classifications into five categories to facilitate more effective negotiations between government and unions. This would eventually lead to the creation of what would become the Public Service Staff Relations Board, a dedicated body to handle labour negotiations. In 1961, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker 's government enacted

2967-426: The appointment process was complete. In 1962, the government adopted several of the commission's recommendations, among them, the transferring responsibility over promotions and appointment policy over to the Treasury Board, and allowing individual departments to handle day-to-day personnel management. The CSC's role was scaled back such that it was only responsible for conducting common recruitment programs, and ensuring

3036-405: The civil service. While this did not result in layoffs within the civil service, as the government wanted to avoid deepening the unemployment issue, the Treasury Board temporarily imposed salary cuts and a suspension of promotions and salary raises. During this period, Prime Minister R. B. Bennett 's government, through Orders-in-Council , permanently transferred staffing authority from the CSC to

3105-607: The deploying IT equipment to public servants working remotely resulted in nearly 110,000 public servants receiving special paid leave, costing approximately $ 1.1 billion by the end of 2020. The relative success of remote work arrangements prompted at least one department, Transport Canada to designate themselves as fully remote by default in May 2020, joining private companies such as Twitter and Shopify . In October 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that all public servants, regardless of whether they are working remotely or on-site, needed to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by

3174-708: The federal government for overpayments. In June 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's government amended the Public Service Employment Act to enshrine employment equity objectives, and notably introduced provide equal preference to Canadian citizens and permanent residents in job competitions. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to ask departments to close offices to curtail community spread of COVID-19, and switch to remote work where possible. However, restrictions on network capacity and delays in

3243-569: The federal government's aging pay system. In 2011, it eventually awarded a contract to IBM to develop the Phoenix Pay System , which would become the locus of controversy in later years due to errors in disbursing paychecks to federal employees. In 2012, the federal budget by the Harper government sought to reduce the number of public service positions by around 19,000 over the next three fiscal years until 2015-16. Beginning in 2014,

3312-541: The federal government, and ran into significant performance issues, leading to thousands of public servants being overpaid, underpaid, or not paid at all over the course of several months. This would prompt Public Services and Procurement Canada to rapidly launch dedicated telephone lines beginning in the summer of 2016 to assist public servants who were affected by issues brought on by the pay system. Even by early 2020, many public servants continued to encounter pay issues, with an estimated 98,000 public servants estimated to owe

3381-618: The federal government, employees are generally not considered to be public servants and are instead employed by the corporation itself. Over 40 per cent of the Public Service of Canada is located in the National Capital Region , many public servants are situated at approximately 1,600 locations throughout Canada. Public service organizations are divided into the Core Public Administration (CPA), defined as organizations listed under schedules I and IV in

3450-594: The federal level. The duties of individual public servants vary widely, ranging from issuing policy recommendations to ministers, processing applications or forms, to interacting directly with members of the public. While public servants aim to convert the political priorities of the elected government and Cabinet from concept into action, public servants are loyal to the Crown, rather than the sitting government. As such, public servants remain employed even as governments and political priorities change, requiring them to exercise

3519-416: The federal public service today. As of 2020, the Public Service employs 319,601 people, and is Canada's largest single employer. There are 137 distinct organizations within the Public Service, including 23 ministerial (line) departments, 3 service agencies, 17 departmental corporations, 50 departmental agencies, 12 special operating agencies, and 6 agents of Parliament. While Crown corporations are owned by

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3588-552: The government convened the Royal Commission on Government Organization , colloquially referred to as the Glassco Commission, to investigate the current state of management practices within the federal government's workforce. The report found that the promotion and transfer processes imposed by the CSC were inefficient and time consuming enough that many qualified candidates were poached by other employers before

3657-404: The inclusion of 'marital status' as such a ground later in 1974. In 1973, the Office of Native Employment was created to advance job opportunities for Indigenous peoples within the public service. This would later be complemented by a Northern Careers Program to promote Indigenous employment with the public service in Canada's North. Throughout the 1980s, the federal government rapidly expanded

3726-640: The integrity of selection processes. In 1963, a desire to improve French language capabilities among civil servants prompted the creation of the Language Training Centre under the authority of the CSC. By 1966, French language skills were considered to be an element of merit for civil service recruitment for positions in Ottawa. Cabinet's acceptance of recommendations from the PCCB to introduce collective bargaining rights for civil servants prompted

3795-520: The junior administrative assistant position beginning in 1946 to encourage the recruitment and training of university graduates into fully-fledged administrative professionals. Similarly, in 1947, the CSC established a Staff Training Division, responsible for organizing courses to train civil servants on different skills In 1951, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent 's government enacted the Financial Administration Act , established

3864-670: The jurisdiction of Health Canada: In their responsibility of maintaining and improving the health of Canadians, the Minister of Health is supported by the Health Portfolio, which comprises Health Canada as well as: Additionally, Health Canada is a corporate partner of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP). In December 2016, Health Canada approved the purchase of a new botulism antitoxin called heptavalent botulism antitoxin (BAT) from

3933-505: The legislation applied to both the Inside Service and Outside Service, whereas previous reforms only extended to positions in Ottawa. A further amendment to the legislation enacted in 1919 curtailed Cabinet's ability to directly appoint employees to the civil service. As the CSC solidified its role as a body responsible for curtailing patronage, and protecting the integrity of the merit-based appointment process, it sought to improve

4002-539: The minister. Originally created as the "Department of Health" in 1919—in the wake of the Spanish flu crisis —what is known as Health Canada today was formed in 1993 from the former Health and Welfare Canada department (established in 1944), which split into two separate units; the other department being Human Resources and Labour Canada . Health Canada's leadership consists of: The following branches, offices, and bureaus (and their respective services) fall under

4071-484: The passage of the Canada Civil Service Act in 1868. The legislation established a Civil Service Board with limited jurisdictions over civil service examinations , certification, and promotional investigations for civil servants located in Ottawa. Despite its intentions, the legislation failed to completely abolish political patronage in appointments. In 1869, the Royal Commission to Enquire into

4140-546: The popularly-elected Assembly to oversee appointments to the civil services, successive governments continued the practice of drawing appointees to non-political (civil) positions. Unlike the American spoils system , political appointees did not typically resign when a new government was sworn in, which created friction between Cabinet and civil servants as governments changed. To address the persistence of patronage appointments, Parliament enacted legislation in 1857 to establish

4209-494: The public service. This period also saw a substantial push among civil servants and emerging staff associations, such as the Civil Service Association of Ottawa, to secure a right to collective bargaining for civil servants. The government was initially resistant to these efforts, asserting that the merit-based appointment system of the civil service eliminated the need for collective bargaining, and that

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4278-508: The rigour of its entrance examinations. However, the CSC also began to impose restrictions on employing married women beginning in 1921, with any women holding permanent positions being forced to resign upon marrying. These restrictions would remain in place until 1955. Nevertheless, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King 's government passed the Civil Service Superannuation Act in 1924, helping to establish

4347-421: The same time, this saw a downsizing of federal public service positions, particularly in 1986, which saw a loss of 20,000 positions, and 1995, which saw the elimination of 45,000 permanent positions over the next three years. The latter, which was a result of an austerity-focused budget under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien 's government, represented one of the most drastic reductions to the public service. In 2003,

4416-439: The sitting governor, often under the advisement of members of the ruling Family Compact , who would recommend the selection of candidates who were supportive of the ruling elite. As such, government officials would be appointed for life, often leading to instances where members of the same family would occupy a position for several generations. While the introduction of responsible government, which conferred more authority toward

4485-421: The viability of introducing collective bargaining rights, which was resistant to the idea. The government eventually tasked Arnold Heeney, a former clerk of the Privy Council, and then-president of the CSC, to review the aging Civil Service Act , with the ensuing report recommending granting CSC exclusive authority over recruitment, appointments, and promotions within the civil service. It further recommended that

4554-732: The war effort. For the civil service, the War saw provisions of the Civil Service Act replaced by the War Measures Act , which facilitated the appointment of upwards of 54,000 employees, largely on a temporary basis. Following the end of World War II, personnel numbers within the civil service ballooned with the return of veterans from the homefront, many of whom were able to secure positions through preferential status granted to former service members. By 1949, about 55,000 veterans were appointed through this method. The civil service also began to introduce developmental classifications, notably

4623-479: Was criticized by several public service unions and labour leaders, such as PSAC, which promised to file legal challenges and grievances against the decision Canadian Association of Professional Employees , who called for a parliamentary inquiry into the three-day-a-week return to office mandate. The Public Service of Canada supports the Government of Canada in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy , and in carrying out key bureaucratic functions at

4692-476: Was done for COVID-19 vaccines, to proceed with the examination of partially complete submissions and accept new information as it becomes available, and also that drugs already approved in other jurisdictions should be approved more rapidly to avoid redundancy. Public Service of Canada The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of

4761-633: Was governed by a Board of Directors made up of 13 directors, 8 of which were appointed by: Congress of Aboriginal Peoples , Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami , the Métis National Council , and Native Women's Association of Canada . An additional five board members were elected by the 10 appointed board members. NAHO was subdivided into three centres – the First Nations Centre, the Inuit Tuttarvingat (formerly known as

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