May 17, 2004
For Immediate Release

News Release

Government of Canada announces National Collaborating Centres for Environmental Health and Aboriginal Health

VANCOUVER - The Honourable Ministers David Anderson (Environment) and Stephen Owen (Public Works and Government Services), on behalf of the Honourable Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State for Public Health, announced today the establishment of two National Collaborating Centres that will make significant contributions to strengthening Canada's public health system.

Minister Anderson announced that British Columbia will be home to the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health. "The effects of the environment on human health are increasingly well known," said Minister Anderson. "However, the importance of the environment and its changes, and the role that public health plays in reducing adverse effects or promoting environmental improvements, needs to be explored further in Canada."

Minister Owen announced the National Collaborating Centre on Aboriginal Health. "Despite improvements in life expectancy and infant mortality over the last 20 years, the health status of First Nations and Inuit remains significantly poorer than that of the average Canadian," said Minister Owen. "In the Speech from the Throne, the Government committed to taking further action to close the gap in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Establishing this centre focussed on Aboriginal health is an important step towards this goal."

Partners in the establishment of the Centre for Aboriginal Health will include the British Columbia government; Aboriginal organizations and communities; academic institutions such as the Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre (a collaboration between First Nations University of Canada and the universities of Regina and Saskatchewan) and the Northern Ontario Medical School; and other provinces and territories.

The centres, along with four other specialized regional centres across the country, will work closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Acting as catalysts, the National Collaborating Centres will help strengthen the capacity of the public health system by creating and fostering linkages among researchers, the public health community and other stakeholders to build on existing strengths across the country. The centres will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and help put it into practice at all levels of the public health system across Canada.

The regional centres are part of several critical initiatives to improve our public health system announced today by Minister of State for Public Health, Dr. Carolyn Bennett. These include the establishment of two pillars, in Ottawa and Winnipeg, for the new Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as the appointment of an Acting Chief Public Health Officer for Canada.

"The health of Canadians is the top priority of this government," said Minister Bennett. "The National Collaborating Centres for Public Health will provide national focal points for key priority areas in public health, building on established regional expertise. They will accelerate the development and implementation in public health practice of new research findings and best practices."

Specifically, the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in British Columbia will look at how, for example, climate, water quality, food quality, air quality and shelter influence the state of human health. Infectious agents, toxins, chemical agents, and workplace health and injuries will also be taken into account.

The National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health will focus on improving the health status of all Aboriginal Canadians. Since the effects of low socio-economic status and physical and cultural isolation are complex, the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health will integrate its activities with the Aboriginal community, researchers, health professionals and government departments at many levels when developing priorities for research, evaluation and knowledge translation. Research priorities will take into account the health status of urban Aboriginal Canadians as well as those who live in rural and remote communities.

The Government of Canada is enhancing the country's capacity to respond to infectious and chronic diseases with an initial investment of $15 million over two years for the six National Collaborating Centres for Public Health. Each centre will concentrate on a specific theme, reflective of regional expertise, that will contribute to building Canada's excellence in a range of public health specialty areas. Federal investment in the centres specializing in environmental health and Aboriginal health is approximately $5 million over two years.

Today's announcement builds on the commitments the Government of Canada laid out in its Speech from the Throne and in the 2004 Budget. In British Columbia, federal investments to support public health improvements include $13.2 million for front-line workers and $39.6 million for new vaccine programs. As well, Budget 2004 provides funding for other federal activities in public health, such as strengthening preparedness against infectious diseases, creating emergency response teams, replenishing the national emergency stockpile system, and investing in federal laboratories and surveillance systems.

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Media Inquiries:
Blair Parkhurst
Health Canada
(604) 666-2310

Kelly Morgan
Office of Minister Anderson
(819) 997-1441

Suzanne Cowan
Office of the Minister of State (Public Health)
(613) 941-8081

Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991