Health Canada 2025-26 Departmental plan: At a glance
A departmental plan describes a department's priorities, plans, and associated costs for the upcoming three fiscal years.
Key priorities
Health Canada's top priorities for 2025-26 are as follows:
- Working together to transform health care for Canadians, including improving mental health and substance use support and helping Canadians age with dignity.
- Supporting and improving access to oral health care services for Canadians.
- Improving affordable access to pharmaceuticals.
- Reducing substance use-related harms and addressing the overdose crisis.
Highlights
In 2025-26, total planned spending (including internal services) for Health Canada is $10,625,357,753 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 9,129. For complete information on Health Canada's total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section of the full plan.
The following provides a summary of the department's planned achievements for 2025-26 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department's core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.
Core responsibility 1: Health care systems
Planned spending: $9,313,052,163
Planned human resources: 613
Departmental results:
- Departmental result 1: Canada has modern and sustainable health care systems
- Departmental result 2: Canadians have access to appropriate and effective health services
Health Canada provides national leadership to foster sustainable health care systems that ensure access for Canadians to appropriate and effective health care, including oral health care. This is achieved through partnerships with provincial and territorial governments and targeted funding agreements to organizations and key pan-Canadian health partners that contribute to health system improvements.
More information about Health care systems can be found in the full plan.
Core responsibility 2: Health protection and promotion
Planned spending: $972,369,630
Planned human resources: 6,417
Departmental results:
- 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
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. These risks are managed through rigorous regulatory frameworks and by communicating risks and benefits so Canadians can make informed decisions.
More information about Health protection and promotion can be found in the full plan.
Copyright information:
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health Canada, 2025
ISSN: 2371-6576
Pub. No.: 240809