Health Canada 2025-26 Departmental Plan

Core responsibility 1: Health care systems

In this section

• Description
• Program inventory
• Quality of life impacts
• Indicators, results and targets
• Planned resources to achieve results
• Plans to achieve results
• Key risks
• Related government priorities

Description

Health Canada provides national leadership to support and encourage sustainable and adaptable health care systems that ensure access for Canadians to appropriate and effective health care services, including dental care.

This includes modernizing health care systems to meet a broader range of needs in a timely manner and improving the affordability and accessibility of oral health care and pharmaceuticals. The Department's grants and contribution programs enable Health Canada to work with funding recipients and stakeholders to advance a wide variety of health priorities. These contribution programs fall into 3 broad categories:

• Those that address major national health priorities or health issues.
• Health promotion programs where community organization participation is essential for success.
• Research projects that further the development of knowledge, policy, or program delivery.

Program inventory

Health care systems is supported by the following programs:

• Responsive Health Care Systems
• Healthy People and Communities
• Quality Health Science, Data and Evidence

Additional information related to the program inventory for Health care systems is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the Health domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically, the subdomain Healthy care systems. Health Canada contributes to the indicators timely access to primary care provider, unmet health care needs, unmet needs for mental health care, long-term care (access and quality), unmet needs for home care, and cost-related non-adherence to prescription medication.

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2025-26 for Health care systems. Details are presented by departmental result.

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Health Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned resources to achieve results

Complete financial and human resources information for Health Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Health care systems in 2025-26.

• Departmental result 1: Canada has modern and sustainable health care systems
• Departmental result 2: Canadians have access to appropriate and effective health services

Departmental result 1: Canada has modern and sustainable health care systems

In this section

• Working together to transform health care for Canadians
• Expanding access to family health services and team-based primary care
• Supporting the health workforce to meet current and future needs
• Improving mental health and substance use support
• Modernizing health care by using more data and digital tools
• Investing in Pan-Canadian Health Organizations
• Helping Canadians age with dignity

Working together to transform health care for Canadians

The Government of Canada is investing close to $200 billion over 10 years beginning in 2023-24 through the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan to help provinces and territories (P/Ts) improve health care for Canadians. In 2025-26, P/Ts will continue to work with the Canadian Institute of Health Information to track improvements, report on results, as well as to identify and develop new indicators to measure progress on the following shared health priorities:

• Expanding access to family health services and team-based primary care.
• Supporting the health workforce to meet current and future needs.
• Improving mental health and substance use support.
• Modernizing health care by using more data and digital tools.

Additionally, Health Canada will:

• Help Canadians age with dignity by receiving care closer to home, improving long-term care, and supporting the health workforce, including workers in the long-term care and home care sectors.
• Continue supporting the territories to address their unique challenges in delivering health care in the North, including improving primary care and medical travel costs through the 10-year renewal of the Territorial Health Investment Fund.
• Work with international partners to strengthen global health diplomacy to better inform and improve health outcomes for Canadians. This includes negotiating global instruments, representing Canada on multilateral governance bodies to influence and advance Canadian interests, ensuring Canadian interests are considered in negotiations of international trade agreements, and cooperating with international partners to strengthen Canada's health security capacity.
• Leverage Canada's 2025 G7 Presidency to deepen cooperation with G7 partners, to exchange knowledge, best practices, and joint approaches to effective intersectoral action for health populations and health equity.

Expanding access to family health services and team-based primary care

To improve family health services and help ensure all Canadians have regular access to the care they need, Health Canada is focusing on making primary care more accessible, in partnership with P/Ts and other stakeholders. This includes expanding team-based care, increasing virtual care, and helping health providers work together better. In 2025-26, Health Canada will:

• Engage F/P/T partners to share best practices and information to guide pan-Canadian primary care transformation.
• Continue efforts to strengthen the primary care workforce by working with Pan-Canadian Health Organizations and other federal partners to support P/Ts in improving tools, data, reporting, research, and programming focused on primary care.
• Modernize digital tools to enhance the quality and coordination of family health services.

Supporting the health workforce to meet current and future needs

Canada's health workforce is fundamental to a sustainable health care system. Health care professionals provide treatment, services, and advice, and can include physicians, pharmacists, dental hygienists, and nurses, among others. To address the challenges faced by health professionals and to increase their numbers in communities that need them the most, Health Canada's plans in 2025-26 include:

• Supporting more internationally educated health professionals to get licensed, certified, and start working in Canada's health system more quickly by working with P/Ts to increase training and profession-specific assessment opportunities and streamlining foreign credential recognition and navigation processes.
• Funding the Medical Council of Canada's national registry of physicians that will provide a clearer understanding of the physicians in each P/T to enable decision makers to better plan for future health workforce needs, and also advancing work on development of unique identifiers for nurses.
• Funding Health Workforce Canada to make health workforce data and information more available for planning purposes and share practical solutions and innovative practices to address gaps and challenges in health workforce planning.
• Collaborating with P/Ts to support the ethical recruitment and retention of internationally educated health professionals.
• Exploring opportunities to improve capacity within Canada's health educational and training systems to train the next generation of health providers.

Improving mental health and substance use support

Health Canada will continue to collaborate with a wide range of partners so that Canadians can access mental health and substance use services that are evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate. In 2025-26 efforts will focus on the following:

• Addressing the mental health care needs of diverse youth populations, including people facing multiple barriers such as systemic discrimination, racism, and socioeconomic challenges via the newly created Youth Mental Health Fund. Projects will support community service providers, strengthen Integrated Youth Services networks and hubs, and build the capacity of community-based organizations to provide mental health services and supports.
• Supporting Canada's Black Justice Strategy to expand culturally appropriate mental health supports and substance use and addictions programming for Black Canadians.
• Improving access to a full range of integrated programs and services that address the needs of Canadians by funding P/Ts and community-led organizations. Further information on Reducing substance use-related harms and addressing the overdose crisis can be found in departmental result 4.
• Advancing work on the links between mental health and substance use by funding the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
• Addressing substance use in a coordinated way at the national level by funding the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

Modernizing health care by using more data and digital tools

Canadians should be empowered to be active participants in their health care through easy access to their own electronic health information, and this information should be securely shared among their health care providers. Health data is essential for improving health care and public health and should be accessible through modern and digitally connected health care systems, built with the strongest security and privacy standards. In 2025-26, to enhance patient care and ensure that health information is used safely and effectively, Health Canada will:

• Continue to work with P/Ts to implement the priorities of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Action Plan on Digital Health and Health Data, led by the guiding principles of the Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter.
• Strengthen national leadership in health data and digital health and help foster better partnerships among national health data organizations.
• Work with F/P/T governments, partners, and stakeholders to accelerate the responsible use of artificial intelligence in health care, including jointly establishing guidance principles for responsible use, as well as supporting P/Ts in their procurement and deployment of innovative solutions.

Investing in Pan-Canadian Health Organizations

In 2025-26, Health Canada will continue to work closely with organizations that directly contribute to health system transformation. The Department supports these organizations through a variety of transfer payments (i.e., grants and contributions). Supplementary information tables on Health Canada's transfer payment programs provide additional information. Specific priorities include:

• Advancing connected care via investments in Canada Health Infoway to implement the Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap. The Roadmap is a long-term plan for governments and health information vendors to adopt common standards to connect digital health systems with each other, enabling secure access for patients and health care providers.
• Improving how health data is collected, managed, and used across jurisdictions via investments in the Canadian Institute for Health Information. This includes establishing a framework for effective health data stewardship, establishing common indicators, standards, and policies for health systems and public health insights in a timely manner, and reporting on progress towards health system improvement.
• Supporting Canadian health care system decision makers, the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases and initiatives outlined in the Pharmacare Act by investing in Canada's Drug Agency. This includes conducting health technology assessments, generating evidence on the effectiveness of health technologies, developing advice on a national bulk purchasing strategy, and an appropriate use strategy for prescription drugs and related products, improving pan-Canadian drug data and analytics capacity, and improving drug system coordination.
• Promoting innovation and driving changes that aim to improve the health system on a large scale via investing in Healthcare Excellence Canada.

Helping Canadians age with dignity

Health Canada will continue to help Canadians age with dignity, at or closer to home, with access to home care, long-term care, and palliative care. In 2025-26, the Government of Canada will continue to fund P/Ts to improve home and community care (including palliative care) and long-term care to help ensure seniors get the care they deserve. P/Ts will work with the Canadian Institute for Health Information to continue to report on 6 home and community care indicators endorsed in 2018 and begin reporting on additional long-term care indicators. P/Ts will also continue to report to their residents on results achieved through the Aging with Dignity bilateral agreements. Funding from these agreements will:

• Help to support the recruitment and retention of personal support workers and related professions.
• Help P/Ts and health care organizations improve the quality and safety of care in their long-term care facilities and strengthen the stability of the workforce in this sector.
• Support P/Ts to improve access to home and community care through initiatives that include: spreading and scaling evidence-based models of home and community care that are more integrated and connected with primary health care; enhancing access to palliative and end of life care at home or in hospices; increasing support for caregivers; and enhancing home care infrastructure, such as digital connectivity, remote monitoring technology and facilities for community-based service delivery.

Additionally, Health Canada will continue to:

• Work with the Public Health Agency of Canada to support the National Seniors Council, which, among other things, provides expert advice on measures to further support Canadians to age at home.
• Enhance access to quality palliative care by implementing the Action Plan on Palliative Care.
• Increase awareness about palliative care and promote resources including stories from families with lived experiences.
• Build palliative care capacity in a variety of settings and to equip family caregivers with the skills and resources needed to care for elderly loved ones at home via investments in the Health Care Policy and Strategies Program.

Departmental Result 2: Canadians have access to appropriate and effective health services

In this section

• Supporting and improving access to oral health care services for Canadians
• Improving affordable access to pharmaceuticals
• Strengthening and defending the core principles of the Canada Health Act
• Improving equitable access to care and addressing racism and discrimination in health care
• Supporting the safe and appropriate implementation of medical assistance in dying
• Ensuring healthy people and communities
• Modernizing the health research eco-system

Supporting and improving access to oral health care services for Canadians

Oral health is an important part of Canadians' overall health and well-being. As such, Health Canada will continue to support and improve access to oral health care services for Canadians who have difficulty accessing care due to cost and other barriers. Canadians with lower family incomes are less likely to have dental insurance, have the highest level of oral health problems, and the most difficulty accessing oral health care.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) supports Canadian residents with an adjusted annual family net income of less than $90,000 without access to dental insurance. As of June 2024, all eligible seniors 65 and older, adults between 18 and 64 with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate, and children under the age of 18 have been able to apply and begin receiving care. In 2025-26, all remaining eligible Canadian residents between the ages of 18 and 64 will be able to apply. Due to potential changes in income and dental insurance coverage over the course of a given year, all individuals enrolled in the CDCP must be re-assessed against the eligibility criteria on an annual basis. Health Canada will begin assessing people who are already enrolled in the CDCP each year to determine if they are still eligible for the next benefit cycle. The Department will also:

• Promote the CDCP and reinforce the importance of oral health to key audiences including seniors, people living with a disability, parents, children, and other priority populations.
• Work with associations and advocacy groups to continue to raise awareness of the CDCP and the importance of good oral health on overall health.
• Continue to work and collaborate with P/Ts to advance oral health priorities, including the successful implementation of the CDCP and its intersection with P/T dental programs.

In 2025-26, the new Oral Health Access Fund will complement the CDCP. The Fund will support projects that reduce or remove non-financial barriers to accessing oral health care for targeted populations. The goal of this Fund is to improve training and capacity for oral health providers, connect people to oral health care, and deliver prevention, education, and awareness efforts to improve oral health.

Improving affordable access to pharmaceuticals

Canadians must have better access to affordable prescription drugs, regardless of their ability to pay. To improve accessibility, affordability, appropriate use, and universal coverage of medications for Canadians, Health Canada will work with Canada's Drug Agency along with P/Ts, Indigenous Peoples, partners, and stakeholders towards implementing national pharmacare. As a first step, the Pharmacare Act outlines principles for national universal pharmacare in Canada and describes the Government of Canada's intent to work with P/Ts to provide universal, single-payer, first-dollar coverage for a range of contraceptive and diabetes medications. In 2025-26 Health Canada will:

• Advance bilateral funding agreements with P/Ts for contraception and diabetes medications and devices.
• Support an expert committee to provide advice by October 2025 on the financing and operation of national, universal, single-payer pharmacare.
• Receive advice from Canada's Drug Agency on:
  • A list of essential drugs and related products to inform development of a national formulary.
  • A national bulk purchasing strategy.
  • A pan-Canadian Appropriate Use Strategy to be published by the Minister of Health on the Department of Health's website.

Many Canadians are impacted by a variety of rare diseases, yet treatments can be costly and beyond reach. The National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases aims to improve access to, and the affordability of, effective drugs for the treatment of such diseases. In 2025-26 Health Canada will help patients with rare diseases access affordable treatments as early as possible, for a better quality of life by continuing to:

• Make funding available to all willing P/Ts to improve access to drugs, early diagnosis, and screening for rare diseases through bilateral agreements.
• Support the collection and use of evidence for decision-making and more rare disease research and clinical trials in Canada.

Similarly, the Pediatric Drug Action Plan aims to address challenges in accessing safe and effective health products for children and youth since the majority of drugs prescribed to children in Canada have not been explicitly approved for use in children. A key priority in 2025-26 is to work with stakeholders to establish the first National Priority List of Pediatric Drugs, identifying medicines that are urgently needed. This is the first initiative of its kind to document the specific medicine gaps for children in Canada. This is expected to lead to targeted discussions with industry, aimed at facilitating access to these products for pediatric patients in Canada.

Strengthening and defending the core principles of the Canada Health Act

Through Health Canada, the Government of Canada is responsible for promoting and defending the core principles of the Canada Health Act. In 2025-26, the Department will monitor changes in the delivery of health care services and continue its work on ensuring that administration of the Act keeps pace with the realities of modern health care delivery. Health Canada will also continue to work with P/Ts to help them comply with the Department's Diagnostic Services Policy to ensure patients are not charged for medically necessary diagnostic services and to prepare for the April 1, 2026 implementation date of the Canada Health Act Services Policy. The new Services Policy aims to prevent patient charges for medically necessary services, whether provided by a physician or other regulated health care professional providing physician-equivalent services.

Improving equitable access to care and addressing racism and discrimination in health care

Health Canada will continue to invest in programs and organizations that directly support access to appropriate and effective health services for Canadians as well as advocate for equitable access to health internationally. Plans in 2025-26 include:

• Evaluating the impact of the Addressing Racism and Discrimination in Canada's Health Systems Program in addressing anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination within Canada's health systems. This will help inform future initiatives aimed at addressing these issues.
• Supporting territorial efforts to innovate and transform their health care systems and to ensure Northerners have access to the health care they need.
• Considering the health needs of English speaking communities in Quebec and French speaking communities elsewhere in Canada when developing, implementing, and evaluating the Department's initiatives, as well as supporting organizations seeking to improve access to health services for these communities in their official language of choice via Health Canada's Official Languages Health Program.
• Continuing to advocate for gender-responsive, equity-oriented, inclusive, and rights-based considerations to be incorporated in all World Health Organization policies, resolutions, and decisions, including the World Health Organization programme budget 2026-27.

Supporting the safe and appropriate implementation of medical assistance in dying

Health Canada will continue to collaborate with P/Ts and other partners to support the safe and appropriate provision of medical assistance in dying (MAID) services, as part of end-of-life or complex health care. In 2025-26 the Department will:

• Collect data and report to Canadians on the provision of MAID in Canada.
• Work with P/Ts to support the safe and appropriate provision of MAID services as part of end-of-life or complex health care.

Ensuring healthy people and communities

To foster a strong and effective public health care system, Health Canada supports the development of inclusive, innovative, and people centered health care solutions. The Department collaborates with partners and communities to test solutions and address population needs. Funding recipients work directly with health practitioners, decision makers, and health organizations to develop, refine, and share specialized knowledge, skills, and tools designed to improve health care services for priority populations. In 2025-26, specific priorities include:

• Improving access to abortion and other sexual and reproductive health services by supporting community-based and non-profit organizations that reach under-served communities. The focus is on serving people who face the largest barriers to accessing sexual health resources and care. In 2025-26, Health Canada will work to expand and make the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund permanent.
• Improving health system performance for organs, tissues, and blood systems by investing in Canadian Blood Services. This funding will support education on organ and tissue donation, with a focus on Indigenous perspectives, the development of a Pan-Canadian governance body for organ donation and transplantation, and research and knowledge dissemination.
• Combatting cancer by supporting the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer to advance cancer control prevention and early diagnosis through to survivorship and end of life care and supporting the Terry Fox Research Institute to expand a national network of cancer centres to advance precision medicine in cancer research.

Modernizing the health research eco-system

Health Canada, in collaboration with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and the federal granting agencies (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) will continue to modernize how the Government of Canada supports Canada's research eco-system. In 2025-26, this work will focus on investing in research and research talent as well as governance changes to the federal research support system to improve coordination.

The Department, in collaboration with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada will continue to implement the Strategic Science Fund to enhance Canada's science, technology, and innovation excellence by leveraging the expertise and resources of independent, science and research organizations, including those with a health focus. In 2025-26, the Department will continue to support the administration of funding for recipients of the inaugural competition of the Fund as well as the development of administrative tools and frameworks.

In 2025-26, Health Canada will also continue to examine the recommendations in the Report of the Expert Panel's Review of the Federal Approach to Pandemic Science Advice and Research Coordination: The Time to Act is Now, which can help better prepare Canada's research coordination and science advice systems ahead of the next pandemic or health emergency.

Back to Departmental Result 1: Canada has modern and sustainable health care systems.

Key risks

Key risks for Core Responsibility 1: Health care systems

1. Risk: Health Canada's ability to effectively uphold the Canada Health Act could be put at risk by challenges in administering the Act.

2. Risk: Partners, stakeholders and Canadians may lose confidence in Health Canada's ability to lead complex and multijurisdictional initiatives if the Department does not deliver on commitments and programs in a timely and effective manner.

3. Risk: Health Canada's ability to achieve its mandate may be at risk due to challenges posed by major disruptive events such as extreme weather events and pandemics.

Related government priorities

Gender-based analysis plus

Health Canada uses a method called Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA Plus) to understand how different factors, including but not limited to gender, affect people's health. This helps to identify inequalities and create better programs and legislation. In 2025-26, Health Canada will continue to implement its Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus Action Plan, which aims to ensure sex, gender, and diversity are considered in everything the Department does. This includes considering Indigenous identities in culturally appropriate ways. The Department will continue to provide tools and support to help employees in using SGBA Plus in their work, so that the experiences and needs of Canadians are taken into account.

More information about Sex- and Gender-based Analysis Plus is available in the Gender-Based Analysis Plus Supplementary Information Table.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

As part of Canada's commitment to support the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Health Canada's domestic contribution through ongoing policies, programs, and initiatives advances 5 SDGs in total, including SDG 3 (Good health and well-being) through core responsibility 1 activities.

More information on Health Canada's contributions to Canada's Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in Health Canada's Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Core responsibility 2: Health protection and promotion

In this section

• Description
• Program inventory
• Quality of life impacts
• Indicators, results and targets
• Planned resources to achieve results
• Plans to achieve results
• Key risks
• Related government priorities

Description

Health Canada works with domestic and international partners to assess, manage, and communicate the health and safety risks and benefits associated with health and consumer products, food, chemicals, pesticides, environmental factors, tobacco and vaping products, cannabis, and controlled substances.

Program inventory

Health protection and promotion is supported by the following programs:

• Pharmaceutical Drugs; Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs; Medical Devices; Natural Health Products
• Food and Nutrition
• Air Quality; Climate Change; Water Quality; Health Impacts of Chemicals
• Consumer Product Safety; Workplace Hazardous Products
• Tobacco Control; Controlled Substances; Cannabis
• Radiation Protection
• Pesticides
• Health Canada Specialized Services

Additional information related to the program inventory for Health protection and promotion is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the Health domain and the Environment domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically, the subdomains of Healthy people and Environment and people. Health Canada contributes to the fruit and vegetable consumption/healthy eating environments indicator under the Health domain by promoting healthy eating. The Department contributes to the air quality and drinking water headline indicators under the Environment domain by assessing, managing, and communicating the health and safety risks associated with chemicals, pesticides, and environmental factors.

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the department's indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2025-26 for Health protection and promotion. Details are presented by departmental result.

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Health Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned resources to achieve results

Complete financial and human resources information for Health Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Health protection and promotion in 2025-26.

• Departmental result 3: Canadians have access to safe, effective and quality health products
• Departmental result 4: Canadians are protected from unsafe consumer and commercial products and substances
• Departmental result 5: Canadians make healthy choices

Departmental Result 3: Canadians have access to safe, effective and quality health products

In this section

• Modernizing regulatory oversight, including compliance and enforcement, for health products
• Applying real-world evidence in regulatory decisions
• Preventing and mitigating the impact of drug and medical device shortages
• Providing timely access to health products and promoting access to new technologies
• Preventing and controlling antimicrobial resistance

Modernizing regulatory oversight, including compliance and enforcement, for health products

Health Canada is modernizing its regulatory frameworks to better manage health product risks and ensure Canadians have access to safe, effective, high-quality drugs, medical devices, and other health products. These efforts align with commitments for an agile regulatory system, including those described in the Health and Biosciences Regulatory Review Roadmap, Canada's Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, and the Agri-food and Aquaculture Regulatory Review Roadmap. Key initiatives for 2025-26 include:

• Implementing Agile Licensing for Drugs and Medical Devices Regulations for continuous monitoring, assessment, and communication of health product risks, benefits, and uncertainties throughout their life cycle.
• Advancing an exemption under the Food and Drugs Act to allow the import and sale of certain foods for special dietary purposes (e.g., infant formula) when there is a shortage or a risk of one.
• Supporting industry to implement the biocides regulations and the new labelling requirements for natural health products.
• Advancing proposals to amend medical devices and drug establishment licensing frameworks to adopt risk-based approaches for foreign distributors of medical devices and for drug oversight.
• Monitoring compliance with the labelling and advertising provisions of the Ministerial Order to help prevent harms to youth from nicotine replacement therapies.

Applying real-world evidence in regulatory decisions

Real-world evidence is evidence regarding the use, and potential benefits or risks, of a health product gathered from data analysis on patient health status and/or the delivery of health care. Health Canada will continue leveraging real-world evidence to improve post-market oversight of health products and to inform pre-market drug decisions, including vaccines. In 2025-26, the Department will work with domestic and international partners to share insights, advance learning, harmonize best practices, and develop international guidance on real world evidence and data.

Preventing and mitigating the impact of drug and medical device shortages

Health Canada is collaborating with P/Ts, industry, and patient advocacy groups as well as international organizations to alleviate the impacts of drug and medical device shortages. Building Resilience: Health Canada's Plan to Address Health Product Shortages (2024-2028) outlines steps to build resilience against shortages and protect Canadians from the worst effects of them. In 2025-26, Health Canada will:

• Advance regulations that would include measures to help prevent shortages of drugs and medical devices and reduce the risk of injury from shortages that cannot be prevented.
• Lead the development and implementation of secure tools and reporting website(s) to improve data collection, surveillance, and analytics on shortages.
• Monitor compliance with requirements that restrict exports of certain drugs intended for the Canadian market if that sale could cause or worsen a shortage domestically.
• Increase transparency and communication on critical national shortages and measures taken to resolve them.
• Collaborate with regulated parties and health care partners to manage health product shortages, where possible.

Providing timely access to health products and promoting access to new technologies

Health Canada ensures timely access to health products while building expertise to assess new technologies. In 2025-26, the Department will:

• Promote, monitor, and enforce compliance with the Food and Drugs Act to ensure health products meet quality and safety standards.
• Publish Canadian guidance on joint reviews of veterinary drugs with the United States, strengthening Health Canada's simultaneous review process.
• Collaborate with international regulatory partners to coordinate inspections, focusing on high-risk situations in the global supply chain.
• Continue to explore piloting a single inspection program for Good Manufacturing Practices with Australia and the United Kingdom to establish a coordinated and global approach to foreign manufacturing site inspections.
• Update guidance on nitrosamines impurities in pharmaceuticals, with international partners, to address potential risks and implement regulatory actions as needed.
• Leverage the legislative framework for advanced therapeutic products to support patient access, enhance safety, and foster innovation in the health and biosciences sector.

Preventing and controlling antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent threat for the health of humans, animals, and our shared environment. In line with the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR (2023-27) and the Office of the Auditor General's report on AMR (2023), Health Canada will continue working with the Public Health Agency of Canada, partners, and stakeholders to implement and monitor AMR activities using a One Health Approach. Plans for 2025-26 include:

• Expanding the Canadian antimicrobial reserve list to classify all antimicrobial drugs for human use, raising AMR awareness and promoting responsible antimicrobial use.
• Supporting the Public Health Agency of Canada's efforts to facilitate access to new antimicrobials for humans.
• Publishing sales data on medically important antimicrobials in animals to support surveillance and stewardship.
• Facilitating access to low-risk veterinary health products for animal health and wellness, reducing the routine need for antimicrobials.
• Updating Health Canada's Categorization of antimicrobial drugs to guide safety assessments for veterinary antimicrobials and support risk assessments related to AMR.
• Engaging with international partners to exchange insights, inform best practices, and participate in work sharing through the Access Consortium on AMR initiatives.

Back to Departmental Result 2: Canadians have access to appropriate and effective health services.

Departmental Result 4: Canadians are protected from unsafe consumer and commercial products and substances

In this section

• Reducing substance use-related harms and addressing the overdose crisis
• Managing the risks of chemicals and unsafe consumer products and cosmetics
• Radiation safety
• Climate change adaptation and health emergency preparedness
• Strengthening pesticide regulation and transparency

Reducing substance use-related harms and addressing the overdose crisis

Substance use-related harms and the overdose crisis continue to have devastating impacts across Canada, affecting individuals, families, and communities. The unpredictable and potent dangerous synthetic illegal drug supply poses significant challenges to public health and safety nationwide. Health Canada leads the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy – a comprehensive federal approach to reduce substance use-related harms. It is guided by the principles of equity, collaboration, comprehensiveness and compassion, and frames federal action, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services, surveillance and data collection, as well as regulatory efforts to stem the flow of dangerous synthetic illegal drugs into communities. Additional information on Health Canada's efforts to advance the Strategy can be found in the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy Horizontal initiative table.

Priorities in 2025-26 include:

• Continuing to raise awareness about the harms of substance use through public education programs like the Ease the Burden campaign, targeting men in trades, that will prevent, reduce, or delay substance use by raising awareness.
• Expanding the Department's evidence base using results from the 2024-25 Canadian Postsecondary Education Alcohol and Drug Use Survey and other surveys, such as the Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey and the People with Lived and Living Experience Survey, ensuring a strong foundation of data in the future.
• Supporting P/Ts and community organizations to improve access to comprehensive, integrated programs and services aimed at reducing overdose-related harms and deaths as well as continuing to implement a new Emergency Treatment Fund to provide municipalities and Indigenous communities with resources to rapidly respond to emergent, critical needs related to the overdose crisis. Additional information can be found in the Substance Use and Addictions Program Transfer payment program supplementary information table.

The Department will continue enforcing compliance with the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, monitoring the legal supply chain, and providing analytical services and intelligence on controlled substances for law enforcement and public health purposes. In 2025-26 Health Canada will:

• Consolidate current controlled substances regulations into a single, modern regulation (i.e., the proposed Controlled Substances Regulations), to streamline compliance while protecting public health and public safety.
• Continue establishing legislative exemptions to support health services and provide P/Ts the flexibility they need to manage the overdose crisis.

Additionally, under Canada's Border Plan, the Department will:

• Continue to advance activities including regulatory amendments for precursor chemicals and certain drug equipment, to provide better insight into precursor chemicals, distribution channels and enhance monitoring and surveillance to enable timely law enforcement action.
• Conduct more specialized analysis of synthetic drug samples to help determine how and where these substances were manufactured.

Managing the risks of chemicals and unsafe consumer products and cosmetics

Health Canada is committed to managing the health and environmental risks of chemicals and to mitigating risks posed by unsafe consumer products and cosmetics. The Department will do so in part through the Chemicals Management Plan as well as through a broad suite of federal laws. Health Canada will also work in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada to address chemicals of concern in Canada, including new substances entering the county. Priorities in 2025-26 include:

• Continuing to implement the June 2023 amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999(CEPA) by publishing:
  • An implementation Framework for the right to a healthy environment under CEPA.
  • A "Watch List" of chemicals that could pose risks if, for example, their usage or exposure increase.
  • A Plan of Priorities identifying chemicals for assessment as well as a strategy to reduce, replace, or refine vertebrate animal testing.
• Publishing a final state of Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) report along with a risk management approach if concerns are identified. Also known as "forever chemicals," this large class of human-made substances are used in everyday products such as food packaging, cosmetics, and cookware. They persist in the environment and may impact health, such as reproductive, immune, and nervous systems.
• Supporting Canada's plan to reduce waste and pollution and move towards a circular plastics economy.
• Continuing to raise awareness of household chemicals and pollutants, offering practical tips for risk reduction.
• Working with international partners to enhance Canada's ability to assess and manage chemical risks on a global scale.
• Advancing environmental risk management authorities under the Food and Drugs Act to protect against environmental risks from approved therapeutic products.
• Engaging with stakeholders on the beginnings of a regulatory framework to strengthen the assessment and management of environmental risks from drug ingredients.

Additional information on Health Canada's efforts to advance the Plan can be found in the Chemicals Management Plan Horizontal initiative table.

To address occupational cancer risks among firefighters, the Department will implement actions in support of the National Framework on Cancers linked to Firefighting by launching a national advisory group and conducting research on cancers linked to firefighting.

Workplace hazardous products

To mitigate risks posed by workplace hazardous products, Health Canada will work with international partners like the United Nations and the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration to continue to update and align hazard classification and communication requirements to the extent possible.

Unsafe consumer products and cosmetics

The Department will update policies, conduct risk assessments, develop risk management strategies and tools, engage online marketplaces (including through the administration and promotion of the Canadian Product Safety Pledge), and conduct outreach activities to provide information about unsafe consumer products and cosmetics. Key activities in 2025-26 will include:

• Assessing and managing potential safety risks associated with lithium-ion batteries used in an ever-increasing number of consumer products.
• Engaging on the development of new requirements to address chronic hazards in consumer chemical products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.

Radiation safety

Health Canada will continue to monitor and report on radiation exposure from both natural and human-made sources. Key activities in 2025-26 will include:

• Participating in nuclear emergency drills and exercises under the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan to confirm that emergency preparedness plans are ready for execution in the event of a nuclear emergency.
• Implementing new regulatory requirements for laser product imports to enhance public safety.

Climate change adaptation and health emergency preparedness

Health Canada will support adaptation to the health impacts of climate change, focusing on increasing knowledge and capacity through the HealthADAPT and HeatADAPT Programs. The Department will continue:

• Supporting the National Adaptation Strategy 's Health and Well-being system and collaborating internationally to share best practices.
• Monitoring extreme weather to protect drug supply chains and access.
• Maintaining its capacity to provide public health guidance and communications related to climate-related health emergencies, like wildfires, building on lessons learned from recent wildfire seasons.

In 2025-26, the Department will also expand capacity to address health emergencies by:

• Working to finalize an international Pandemic Agreement with 193 countries.
• Aligning domestic policies with updated International Health Regulations for preparedness, surveillance, and response for health emergencies, as appropriate.
• Supporting Health Emergency Readiness Canada to improve preparedness for future public health threats and strengthen domestic life sciences objectives.

Strengthening pesticide regulation and transparency

Health Canada is advancing its Transformation Agenda to make Canada's pesticide regulatory framework more protective, transparent, and responsive. In 2025-26, the Department will:

• Propose regulatory amendments to improve environmental protections, increase transparency and data access, update user fees, support research, and revise the list of exempted products.
• Advance initiatives to modernize the regulatory oversight of pesticides, including focusing review efforts on higher-risk pesticides, with ongoing monitoring of emerging science across the pesticide lifecycle.
• Enhance data collection by implementing the Canadian Water Monitoring Program for Pesticides and the Pesticide Use Data framework to better inform regulatory decisions.
• Increase transparency by upgrading the Pest Management Regulatory Agency website, using plain language in communications, and continuing to work towards improving public access to test data for research and re-analysis purposes, while safeguarding confidentiality.

Back to Departmental Result 3: Canadians have access to safe, effective and quality health products.

Departmental Result 5: Canadians make healthy choices

In this section

• Regulating cannabis and supporting Canadians in making informed decisions about cannabis
• Taking action to protect Canadians, particularly youth, from the harms of tobacco and vaping products
• Promoting healthy eating
• Modernizing the regulatory oversight of food, including its packaging and labelling
• Ensuring the safety and nutritional quality of the Canadian food supply, including in response to emerging foodborne risks and hazards

Regulating cannabis and supporting Canadians in making informed decisions about cannabis

The purpose of the Cannabis Act is to protect public health and safety while providing adults with legal access to regulated products and reducing illegal activities involving cannabis. In collaboration with stakeholders, Health Canada will work to implement the Expert Panel's recommendations from the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act by considering them when developing future policy and programs. In 2025-26, the Department will continue to oversee the legal cannabis framework as well as undertake the following activities, which align with the Expert Panel's recommendations:

• Publish amendments to the Cannabis Regulations to reduce regulatory and administrative burden for stakeholders and regulated parties.
• Promote a diverse cannabis industry by reducing barriers, improving guidance, and enhancing outreach.
• Continue to encourage proactive compliance and stakeholder engagement with a focus on key areas of emerging risk.
• Monitor, assess and enforce compliance with the Cannabis Act and its regulations through inspections and by publicly reporting on adverse reactions.

To support Canadians in making informed decisions about cannabis, Health Canada will continue to:

• Raise awareness of potential harms and health risks and monitor changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours through research and surveillance.
• Provide evidence-based information on the health and safety risks of cannabis use through school-based programming, mental health information aimed at young adults, and material on accidental cannabis poisonings in children.
• Gather evidence-based information related to lower-risk cannabis use as well as collect data on the composition of cannabis products.
• Raise awareness about the effects of cannabis use, including effects on mental health, and poisonings in children from accidental exposure to cannabis products.

Taking action to protect Canadians, particularly youth, from the harms of tobacco and vaping products

Health Canada will continue to implement Canada's Tobacco Strategy, with the goal of reducing tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035, while allowing adults access to less harmful sources of nicotine. The Department will also continue to address ongoing high rates of vaping among youth. For example, in cooperation with F/P/T partners and key stakeholders, Health Canada will continue:

• Monitoring national trends in vaping and smoking by applying an SGBA Plus lens to inform future policies and regulations.
• Publishing the results of compliance and enforcement activities for tobacco and vaping products.

With respect to youth vaping, the Department will:

• Raise public awareness of youth resources, including content developed through the Consider the Consequences of Vaping campaign.
• Engage F/P/T working groups to assess youth access to vaping products to help ensure that youth are adequately protected.
• Inspect websites where products are advertised, promoted, or sold, and inspect retailers as well as manufacturers and importers of vaping and tobacco products to reduce youth access to non-compliant products.
• Sample and test products to ensure compliance with regulations.

Further, Health Canada will continue to advance specific measures relating to tobacco by:

• Implementing the tobacco cost recovery framework, which will require tobacco manufacturers to pay for the cost of federal public health investments in tobacco control.
• Engaging the F/P/T working group on smoking cessation to modernize and improve services.
• Raising awareness of resources and services available through Tools for a Smoke-Free Life to help people quit smoking while addressing the stigma surrounding smoking by taking a person-centered approach to smoking cessation.

Promoting healthy eating

Health Canada provides information on healthy eating that is inclusive of Canada's diverse population. In 2025-26, the Department will continue to advance healthy eating initiatives to curb the rising burden of diet-related chronic disease by making healthier choices easier. Health Canada will also:

• Continue to support restrictions on the advertising of certain food and beverages to children along with comprehensive monitoring of child and teen exposure to food advertising.
• Require, as of January 1, 2026, a front-of-package nutrition symbol on pre-packaged foods that are high in saturated fat, sugars, or sodium to help Canadians more easily identify foods that are high in these nutrients.
• Continue to promote the use and understanding of Canada's food guide, and encourage healthy eating through various channels (e.g., social media, newsletters, website).
• Publish revised guidelines for infant nutrition, with the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, and the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, which will support health professionals providing advice to parents and caregivers on the nutrition of infants from birth to 6 months of age.

Modernizing the regulatory oversight of food, including its packaging and labelling

The current structure of food regulations under the Food and Drugs Act limits Health Canada's ability to respond to advances in science and technology and creates difficulties for industry to bring innovative products to market. To address these challenges, in 2025-26, the Department will:

• Implement and enable the December 2024 amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations pertaining to food to help ensure that Canadians have access to safe and innovative food products in a timely manner.
• Engage stakeholders and use their feedback to develop options and recommendations for developing a mandatory food packaging framework and potential submission program, consisting of guidelines, instructions and forms for industry to submit requests for new food packaging applications, supporting better oversight of food safety and a circular plastics economy.
• Advance modernized regulations for infant foods and foods currently regulated as foods for special dietary use to create a more competitive marketplace and improve access to these critical nutrition products.
• Require, as of January 1, 2026, that all supplemented foods adhere to new requirements as they relate to composition and labelling as per the transition period identified in July 2022.

Ensuring the safety and nutritional quality of the Canadian food supply, including in response to emerging foodborne risks and hazards

Health Canada works with other jurisdictions and international organizations, industry, and consumers to establish policies, regulations, and standards related to the safety and nutritional quality of all food sold in Canada. In 2025-26, the Department will continue to:

• Educate the public and increase awareness about the importance of safe food handling, selection, and preparation practices to reduce foodborne illnesses and adverse reactions to food allergens in Canada.
• Conduct research to inform standards and policies that will help protect Canadians (including priority sub-populations) from nutritional risks associated with the food supply.
• Collaborate with key food allergen stakeholders to refine policies on precautionary labelling and better refine allergen thresholds.
• Foster international partnerships to advance issues related to food safety and nutrition, enhance Health Canada's understanding of current and emerging food issues globally, and promote science-based standard setting and assessment of risks.
• Collect, analyze, and publish data on food contaminants through the Canadian Total Diet Study and continue food toxicology research on microplastic contaminants in food, with a focus on determining the threshold levels that may pose risks to human health.

Back to Departmental Result 4: Canadians are protected from unsafe consumer and commercial products and substances.

Key risks

Key risks for Core Responsibility 2: Health protection and promotion

1. Risk: Canadians may not trust Health Canada's ability to help protect and improve their health if the Department is not regarded as a reliable regulator and considered as a credible source of information.

2. Risk: Health Canada's ability to help protect the health of Canadians may be weakened due to the complexity and fragility of the global supply chain, the rapid pace of innovation, and increasing e-commerce from global sources.

Related government priorities

Gender-based analysis plus

Health Canada uses a method called Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA Plus) to understand how different factors, including but not limited to gender, affect people's health. This helps to identify inequalities and create better programs and legislation. In 2025-26, Health Canada will continue to implement its Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus Action Plan, which aims to ensure sex, gender, and diversity are considered in everything the Department does. This includes considering Indigenous identities in culturally appropriate ways. The Department will continue to provide tools and support to help employees in using SGBA Plus in their work, so that the experiences and needs of Canadians are taken into account.

More information about Sex- and Gender-based Analysis Plus is available in the Gender-Based Analysis Plus Supplementary Information Table.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

As part of Canada's commitment to support the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Health Canada's domestic contribution through ongoing policies, programs, and initiatives advances 5 SDGs in total, including SDG 3 (Good health and well-being); SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation); SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities); SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production); and SDG 13 (Climate action) through core responsibility 2 activities.

More information on Health Canada's contributions to Canada's Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be in Health Canada's Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Internal services

In this section

• Description
• Planned resources to achieve results
• Plans to achieve results
• Key risks
• Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services: management and oversight services; communications services; legal services; human resources management services; financial management services; information management services; information technology services; real property management services; materiel management services; and acquisition management services.

Planned resources to achieve results

Complete financial and human resources information for Health Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

This section presents details on how the department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

In this section

• Building a healthy, diverse, and inclusive workforce
• Advancing accessibility
• Supporting innovative programs and services for Canadians
• Enabling a safe and productive workforce with modern tools and facilities
• Delivering inclusive, timely, and evidence-based communications

Building a healthy, diverse, and inclusive workforce

Health Canada's greatest asset is a skilled, engaged workforce, specializing in science, regulations, and other core competencies essential for delivering excellence in programs and services. In support of revitalizing values and ethics for the Public Service, the Department will align these principles with Government of Canada priorities through training and discussions on ethical conduct. Health Canada will also collaborate with scientific and regulatory communities to promote scientific integrity and guide ethical behavior under the Health Canada Code of Conduct. Internally, the Centre for Ombuds and Resolution will continue to provide a safe, confidential space for work-related concerns. As well, it will continue to visit regional offices across the country to offer conflict resolution services, and to raise awareness on diversity and inclusion.

Further priorities for 2025-26 include:

• Advancing anti-racism, equity, and inclusion by supporting leadership councils, employee networks, and initiatives, such as the Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and the Multi-Year Diversity and Employment Equity Plan.
• Enhancing Indigenous cultural competency by offering employees specialized skills, learning opportunities, and mandatory training.
• Supporting career growth for equity seeking groups by running targeted hiring processes, enhancing access to opportunities, and providing a dedicated Career Navigator to support employees from specific equity seeking groups, including Persons with a Disability, Indigenous, and Black employees.
• Developing a Psychological Health and Safety Management System to increase employee engagement, inclusion, and innovation, while reducing workplace harassment and psychological injuries.
• Implementing Black-centric enhancements to the Employee Assistance Program, ensuring anti-racist, culturally competent, and trauma-informed support for Black public servants and their families.
• Supporting Official Languages Act updates to improve bilingual services and communications, with managers receiving training to ensure supervision in both official languages.
• Implementing workplace presence requirements defined by the TBS Direction on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace through ongoing monitoring and reporting, as well as engagement and communications activities to support the Department meeting these requirements.

Advancing accessibility

Under the Accessible Canada Act, all federally responsible organizations must publish an Accessibility Plan every 3 years to outline efforts to identify, remove, and prevent barriers in their policies, programs, and services. In 2025-26, building on the Department's 2022-25 Accessibility Plan and its Progress Reports, Health Canada will:

• Enhance workplace accessibility for persons with disabilities by providing tools, resources, and education, ensuring information technology systems meet accessibility standards, and supporting inclusive program development.
• Publish the 2026-28 Accessibility Plan to outline ongoing actions towards a barrier-free Canada by 2040, in alignment with the Government of Canada's commitment to achieve 5,000 new hires of persons with disabilities across the public service by 2025 as part of the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada.

Supporting innovative programs and services for Canadians

Innovation is key to meeting Canadians' evolving needs and improving departmental efficiency. Health Canada is committed to investing in science and evidence-based innovations that help Canadians maintain and improve their health. Through collaboration and continuous learning, the Department will adapt to emerging challenges and create more agile and effective ways of achieving its goals.

In 2025-26, Health Canada will:

• Update its Innovation and Experimentation Framework to integrate innovation into daily operations, ensuring service excellence.
• Explore and test advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to modernize services.
• Provide platforms like Health Canada's Solutions Fund for employees to evaluate innovative solutions to improve business processes.
• Explore machine learning and data visualization to improve analysis of data on chemical exposures in humans. This approach aims to help identify exposure levels, contributing factors, and health outcomes, especially in priority populations, helping to prioritize chemicals for risk assessment.

Enabling a safe and productive workforce with modern tools and facilities

Health Canada will collaborate across the Health Portfolio to enhance workforce security and modernization, aligning with the Treasury Board Secretariat's Service and Digital Policy suite. In 2025-26, priorities include:

• Delivering occupational health services to the core public administration through the Public Service Occupational Health Program to support their health and safety.
• Advancing strategic data use in line with the 2023-26 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service to improve decision-making and program efficiency.
• Implementing digital capabilities under the Open Science Action Plan and Health Canada's Service and Digital Strategy.
• Aligning financial, materiel, and grants and contributions management systems with the Government of Canada Digital Comptrollership Program.

Delivering inclusive, timely, and evidence-based communications

Health Canada remains committed to providing clear, timely, and evidence-based information. In 2025-26, the Department will leverage various communication platforms (e.g., marketing, advertising, digital channels) including Canada.ca and social media, to reach diverse audiences and promote priorities and other health and safety topics.

Drawing on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Canada has strengthened its risk communications capacity to deliver timely, consistent, and high-quality guidance. The Department's internal Risk Communications Toolkit offers a step-by-step guide for developing and implementing risk communication plans. In 2025-26, Health Canada will further strengthen risk communication capacity within the Health Portfolio, as well as across federal departments and agencies, with P/Ts, partners, and internationally, to help prepare the workforce for future health emergencies.

Back to Departmental Result 5: Canadians make healthy choices.

Key risks

Key Risks for Internal services

1. Risk: Health Canada's ability to deliver on its mandate effectively may be at risk due to challenges in maintaining a high-performing, bilingual, and diverse workforce within a healthy workplace.

2. Risk: Health Canada's ability to deliver its programs and services may be at risk due to the Department's aging physical and IT infrastructure, deferred maintenance, limited funding, limited data analytics capacity, and challenges in safeguarding IT assets from cyberattacks.

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Health Canada is committed to creating economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and advancing the Government of Canada's reconciliation efforts. As part of this commitment, the Department aims to award at least 5% of the value of Health Canada contracts to businesses owned and led by Indigenous Peoples.

In 2023-24, the Department experienced challenges in sourcing specialized science and health-based goods and services from Indigenous businesses. As a result, an exception was approved for laboratory, medical, and optical instruments (and their repair and maintenance) and they were excluded from the calculation of the 5% target. Health Canada continues to work with partners like Indigenous Services Canada, Procurement Assistance Canada, and Buy Social to assess and monitor Indigenous capacity in these areas. Depending on Indigenous business capacity, if necessary, these goods and services may once again need to be excluded from the calculation of the 5% target. In 2025-26, Health Canada intends to meet the procurement target and will continue to implement several initiatives including:

• Considering Indigenous businesses as part of the Department's annual investment and procurement planning processes to enable early identification of opportunities.
• Widely sharing quarterly reports to monitor progress toward the 5% target.
• Incorporating training on Indigenous considerations as part of Health Canada's procurement training framework.
• Collaborating with other federal departments and participating in committees and forums to share best practices (e.g., Indigenous Services Canada's Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Businesses coordinator network and Treasury Board Secretariat's Indigenous Procurement Micro-Credentialing Pilot).

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of Health Canada's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2025-26 with actual spending from previous years.

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
• Human resources

Spending

This section presents an overview of the department's planned expenditures from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Graph 1 presents how much the department plans to spend in 2025-26 to carry out core responsibilities and internal services.

Text description of graph 1

Core responsibilities and internal services	2025-26 planned spending
Core responsibility 1: Health care systems	$9,313,052,163
Core responsibility 2: Health protection and promotion	$972,369,630
Internal services	$339,935,960

Analysis of planned spending by core responsibility

Core responsibility 1 supports the national health care system in providing contributions and transfer payments to P/Ts as well as funding to universities and organizations to reinforce and improve health care for Canadians. Of the total 2025-26 planned spending for core responsibility 1, over 90% of the funding supports the Canadian Dental Care Plan, transfers to P/Ts under the Shared Health Priorities transfer payment program, National Strategy for drugs for rare diseases, and payments to P/Ts to provide coverage for specific prescription drugs and related products under section 6 of the Pharmacare Act.

For core responsibility 2, Health Canada works with domestic and international partners to assess, manage, and communicate the health and safety risks and benefits associated with health and consumer products, food, chemicals, pesticides, environmental factors, tobacco and vaping products, cannabis, and controlled substances. As part of the Department's mandate, and its supporting acts and regulations, Health Canada reviews and evaluates products, and issues establishment and right-to-sell licenses. In 2025-26, funding to support the legalization and regulation of Cannabis in Canada, Emergency Treatment Fund, Chemicals Management Plan, the Public Service Occupational Health Program, Canada's Border Plan, and the pesticides review process will further enable Health Canada to protect and improve the health of Canadians.

Internal services provide support to Health Canada's program areas, as well as administrative services to the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Shared Services Partnership. Such services are, but not limited to, the management of information technology, provision of communications services, financial and human resources services, and assistance in procurement of items to facilitate efficiencies and cost effectiveness for both Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Budgetary performance summary

Analysis of the past three years of spending

The increase in actual expenditures in 2023-24 is mainly due to funding received in-year for Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians.

The increase in forecasted spending for 2024-25 is mainly due to an increase and reprofile of funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, as well as, payments to P/Ts to increase existing public pharmacare coverage and to provide coverage for specific prescription drugs and related products under section 6 of the Pharmacare Act.

More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Analysis of the next three years of spending

The increase in planned spending in 2026-27 is mainly due to the increase in funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan and payments to P/Ts to provide coverage for specific prescription drugs and related products under section 6 of the Pharmacare Act which is offset by the expiry of budget authorities for the renewal of the framework for the legalization and regulation of Cannabis in Canada, Chemicals Management Plan, funding to support Canada Health Infoway under the Shared Health Priorities transfer payment program, the Terry Fox Research Institute, and strengthening the capacity and transparency of the pesticide review process.

The decrease in planned spending in 2027-28 is mainly due to the expiry of budget authorities for home care and mental health services under the Shared Health Priorities transfer payment program, the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases, and the Emergency Treatment Fund, which are offset by an increase in funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

For expiring budgetary spending authorities, the Department would have to request funding for these initiatives for future years.

More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Graph 2 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022–23 to 2027–28.

Text description of graph 2

The figure illustrates Health Canada's approved funding trend from fiscal year 2022–23 to fiscal year 2027–28 where funding, in millions of dollars, is shown on the vertical axis, and time period, in fiscal years, is shown on the horizontal axis.

Fiscal year	Total	Voted	Statutory
2022-23	4,322	2,848	1,474
2023-24	6,842	6,276	566
2024-25	9,320	8,971	349
2025-26	10,625	10,296	329
2026-27	10,887	10,355	532
2027-28	9,570	8,881	689

Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period

Voted Authority spending increased in 2023-24 due to additional funding received in-year for Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan and an increase in funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

The forecast of voted authorities spending increases again in 2024-25 due to an increase and reprofile of funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, as well as, payments to P/Ts to increase existing public pharmacare coverage and to provide coverage for specific prescription drugs and related products under section 6 of the Pharmacare Act.

The planned voted authorities in 2025-26 increase mainly due to the increase in funding authority for the Canadian Dental Care Plan. For 2027-28, the decrease is mainly due to the expiry of budget authorities for home care and mental health services under the Shared Health Priorities transfer payment program, the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases, and the Emergency Treatment Fund, which are offset by an increase in funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

For statutory funding, in 2023-24 there was a decrease due to the expiry of authorities for the procurement of critical and time-sensitive additional COVID-19 rapid tests related to COVID-19, which was partially offset by payments pursuant to the Dental Benefit Act. For 2024-25 there was a planned decrease for the payments pursuant to the Dental Benefit Act. Finally, for 2026-27, and 2027-28 there is a statutory funding increase due to the allocation for payments to P/Ts to increase existing public pharmacare coverage and to provide coverage for specific prescription drugs and related products under section 6 of the Pharmacare Act.

For further information on Health Canada's departmental appropriations, consult the 2025-26 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Health Canada's operations for 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Analysis of forecasted and planned results

Health Canada is projecting $11.0 billion in expenses based on 2025-26 Main Estimates and accrual information. This amount does not include future supplementary estimates. It represents an increase of $1.4 billion from 2024-25 forecast results.

The increase in planned results is mainly due to funding level increases to support:

• Canadian Dental Care Plan.
• Emergency Treatment Fund for municipalities and Indigenous communities related to the substance use and overdose crisis.
• Coverage for specific prescription drugs and related products under section 6 of the Pharmacare Act.

This increase is partially offset by sunsetting authorities to support the federal framework for the legalization and regulation of cannabis in Canada.

The 2025-26 planned expenses by core responsibility are as follows:

• Health care systems $9.3 billion.
• Health protection and promotion $1.3 billion.
• Internal services $0.4 billion.

Health Canada receives most of its funding through annual parliamentary appropriations. Health Canada's revenue is generated by programs that support the above-noted core responsibilities. Health Canada projects total revenues in 2025-26 to be $297.0 million, representing a decrease of $11.2 million from 2024-25 projections.

The 2025-26 main sources of revenues by type are as follows:

• Services of a regulatory nature $109.8 million.
• Rights and privileges $175.9 million.
• Services of a non-regulatory nature $110.2 million.

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated Notes for 2025-26, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on Health Canada's website.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the department's actual and planned human resources from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Analysis of human resources over the last three years

Health Canada's full-time equivalents (FTEs) have remained stable over the last three fiscal years.

Analysis of human resources for the next three years

The decrease in planned FTEs in 2025-26 is mainly due to FTEs associated with services provided to the Public Health Agency of Canada as part of the health portfolio Shared Services Partnership model which is not fully part of the planned FTEs.

The decrease in FTEs in 2026-27 is primarily due to the expiry of budget authorities for the the renewal of the federal framework for the legalization and regulation of cannabis in Canada, the Chemicals Management Plan, and strengthening the capacity and transparency of the pesticide review process.

For the expiring budgetary spending authorities, the Department would have to request funding for these initiatives for future years.

Corporate information

Departmental profile

Appropriate minister:

The Honourable Marjorie Michel, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head:

Greg Orencsak

Ministerial portfolio:

Health

Enabling instruments:

Assisted Human Reproduction Act, Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, Canada Health Act, Cannabis Act, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Dental Benefit Act, Dental Care Measures Act, Department of Health Act, Food and Drugs Act, Hazardous Materials Information Review Act, Hazardous Products Act, Pest Control Products Act, Radiation Emitting Devices Act, Tobacco and Vaping Products Act.

List of Acts and Regulations

Year of incorporation / commencement:

1913

Departmental contact information

Mailing address:

Serena Francis
Assistant Deputy Minister / Chief Financial Officer
Health Canada
Assistant Deputy Minister Office
200 Eglantine Driveway, Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9

Telephone:

613-295-8651

Email:

serena.francis@hc-sc.gc.ca

Departmental results framework

Table 15: Health Canada's Departmental results framework and program inventory of record for 2025-26 are shown below.

Text description of Table 15

Legend:
R: Result
I: Indicator

The table illustrates Health Canada's approved Departmental results framework and Program inventory for 2025-26.

The Departmental results framework groups Health Canada's core responsibilities into two categories, all supported by Internal services. These categories are (1) Health care systems and (2) Health protection and promotion, each of which are delivered through multiple programs in the Program inventory. Each core responsibility has departmental results and several indicators associated with it.

Departmental Results Framework

Core responsibility 1: Health care systems

• R1: Canada has modern and sustainable health care systems
  • I1: National health expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product
  • I2: Real per capita health expenditure
  • I3: Drug spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product
  • I4: Percentage of family physicians using electronic medical records
• R2: Canadians have access to appropriate and effective health services
  • I5: Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) with a mental disorder who have expressed that they have an unmet mental health care need
  • I6: Percentage of Canadians (aged 18+) who have expressed that they have an unmet need for access to home care services
  • I7: Percentage of Canada Health Act compliance issues addressed within 24 months of identification
  • I8: Percentage of Canadians (aged 12+) who did not fill a prescription for medicine or skipped doses of medicine because of the cost
  • I9: Percentage of the target Canadian population who avoided visiting an oral health professional due to cost

Program inventory under Core responsibility 1 (from one to three) as follows:

1. Responsive Health Care Systems
2. Healthy People and Communities
3. Quality Health Science, Data and Evidence

Core responsibility 2: Health protection and promotion

• R3: Canadians have access to safe, effective and quality health products
  • I10: Percentage of human new drug decisions issued within service standards
  • I11: Percentage of Risk Management Plan reviews for new drug decisions completed within service standards
  • I12: Percentage of domestic drug companies deemed to be compliant with manufacturing requirements under the Food and Drugs Act and associated regulations
• R4: Canadians are protected from unsafe consumer and commercial products and substances
  • I13: Percentage of domestic consumer product recalls communicated to Canadians in a timely manner
  • I14: Percentage of actions taken in a timely manner to protect the health of Canadians from substances found to be a risk to human health
  • I15: Percentage of pre-market pesticide submission reviews that are completed within service standards
• R5: Canadians make healthy choices
  • I16: Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who are current cigarette smokers
  • I17: Percentage of youth (grades 10-12) who report frequent (daily to weekly) cannabis use in the past 30 days
  • I18: Percentage of Canadians who use dietary guidance provided by Health Canada

Program inventory under Core responsibility 2 (from four to twenty) as follows:

4. Pharmaceutical Drugs
5. Biologic & Radiopharmaceutical Drugs
6. Medical Devices
7. Natural Health Products
8. Food & Nutrition
9. Air Quality
10. Climate Change
11. Water Quality
12. Health Impacts of Chemicals
13. Consumer Product Safety
14. Workplace Hazardous Products
15. Tobacco Control
16. Controlled Substances
17. Cannabis
18. Radiation Protection
19. Pesticides
20. Health Canada Specialized Services

Internal Services

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Health Canada's website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Horizontal initiatives

Information on Health Canada's departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on Health Canada's website.

Federal tax expenditures

Health Canada's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Definitions

List of terms

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, departments or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person-year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

Is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

Using GBA Plus involves taking a gender- and diversity-sensitive approach to our work. Considering all intersecting identity factors as part of GBA Plus, not only sex and gender, is a Government of Canada commitment.

government priorities (priorités gouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2025-26 Departmental Plan, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the most recent Speech from the Throne.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada's commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Non-budgetary authorities that comprise assets and liabilities transactions for loans, investments and advances, or specified purpose accounts, that have been established under specific statutes or under non-statutory authorities in the Estimates and elsewhere. Non-budgetary transactions are those expenditures and receipts related to the government's financial claims on, and obligations to, outside parties. These consist of transactions in loans, investments and advances; in cash and accounts receivable; in public money received or collected for specified purposes; and in all other assets and liabilities. Other assets and liabilities, not specifically defined in G to P authority codes are to be recorded to an R authority code, which is the residual authority code for all other assets and liabilities.

performance (rendement)

What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of a department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to a department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department's influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that a department, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.