Backgrounder

In the aftermath of the 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Canada, the reports of the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, and the Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control, lead respectively by Dr. David Naylor, by the Honourable Michael J. L. Kirby and by Dr. David Walker, identified that the timely and adequate sharing of information between public health partners is essential to effectively manage urgent and emergent health events, to conduct the ongoing public health surveillance and action, and to provide for research in both urgent and on-going contexts.

Two years later, the Final Report of the F/P/T Special Task Force on Public Health identified that the appropriate sharing of information will be ensured by a consensus on the criteria for sharing information. Furthermore, the Special Task Force on Public Health mandated the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network to facilitate the sharing of information among all jurisdictions.

The multilateral F/P/T efforts of the Special Task Force on Public Health, and the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network, examined the barriers to moving forward on improving public health. In so doing, the provincial, territorial, and federal governments signalled that a collaborative approach to public health policy is required to put in place the initiatives, investments and tools that contribute to a strong public health system.

The aftermath of the SARS outbreak also trigged the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO), of which Canada is included, to ratify the revised International Health Regulations (IHR). The revised IHR make it incumbent upon the Public Health Agency of Canada, through collaboration with its provincial, territorial and national public health partners, to notify the WHO about urgent and emergent health events, thereby participating in stopping the spread of disease in the world and maintaining the confidence of the international community during an outbreak.

The necessity of sharing information through multi-jurisdictional collaboration was identified in the aforementioned reports as an essential element to ensure the protection of the health of Canadians. In addition to the foregoing, it was also agreed in the Pan-Canadian Health Information Privacy and Confidentiality Framework, and recognized by the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health, that it is crucial to ensure Canadians that their privacy will be protected.

For more information, contact publichealthpractice@phac-aspc.gc.ca
or call toll free: 1-877-430-9995.