Deputy Minister of Health - Shalene Curtis-Micallef

Shalene Curtis-Micallef was appointed Deputy Minister of Health, effective January 19, 2026. She most recently served as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada, a role she held since February 13, 2023.

Over the course of her career at Justice Canada, Shalene held a range of senior leadership positions, including Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of the Tax Law Services Portfolio, Deputy ADM for the Policy Sector, and Executive Director and Senior General Counsel within the Health Portfolio. In these roles, she contributed to the advancement of significant legislative reforms including in the areas of cannabis legalization and regulation, tobacco control, food safety modernization and public health. She began her career as tax litigation counsel in the Tax Law Services Portfolio.

Shalene completed her legal studies at Osgoode Hall Law School, is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, and also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Ottawa.