Health Canada - Economic Action Plan 2012

Administrative Efficiencies and Rationalization of Structures and Functions

Many changes are internal to Health Canada, and savings will be generated by simplifying and streamlining operations across all Health Canada branches. These include: consolidating operations; reducing and consolidating strategic policy work; consolidating and focusing on research and laboratory work and space; simplifying grants and contributions administration; and, achieving administrative and operational efficiencies throughout the department.

Shared Services

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) will consolidate several common internal services. A wide range of services, including communications, audit, evaluation, and some financial functions have already been merged into new units to serve both Health Canada and PHAC. This has also taken place for corporate services such as human resources and information technology.

Grants and Contributions

Grants and contributions funding will be concentrated in areas that have continued relevance to Canadians, align with the priorities of the Department and the Government, and have the most potential for success.

For pan-Canadian health organizations, we have reduced funding for most by 5% by 2014-15 and encouraged them to achieve savings through administrative efficiencies and reduced overhead.

Grants and contributions funding in the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch will be focused on direct service delivery with funding for areas such as research, building capacity, developing partnerships and networking reduced.

Streamlining Regulatory Operations and Administration

Core regulatory responsibilities for a variety of products, including drugs, food, consumer products and pesticides, will be maintained. However, each of Health Canada's three regulatory branches will refocus research on priority areas as well as restructure some regulatory and policy operations in keeping with red tape reduction efforts.