Department of Health (Canada)
| Santé Canada | |
 |
|
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1996 |
| Type | Department responsible for national public health |
| Jurisdiction | Canada |
| Employees | 12,000 |
| Minister responsible | |
| Website | www |
Health Canada (French: Santé Canada) is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health.
The current Minister of Health is Jane Philpott, a Liberal Member of Parliament appointed to the position by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Health Canada has the following branches, regions and agencies:
The Compliance and Enforcement Directorate supports Health Canada's mission to help Canadians maintain and improve their health by enforcing the laws and regulations related to the production, distribution, importation, sale and/or use of consumer products, tobacco, pest control products, drugs, biologics, medical devices and natural health products.
The Directorate conducts inspections and investigations to ensure 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 is divided into six distinct programs:
In December 2016, Health Canada approved the purchase of a new botulism antitoxin called Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (BAT) from the American-based company Emergent Biosolutions, a global specialty biopharmaceutical company. The Public Health Agency of Canada has identified botulism as a likely biological terrorist threat.
Acts for which Health Canada has Total or Partial Responsibility
Acts for which Health Canada is Involved or has a Special Interest
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.
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