ARCHIVED - Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2011

Notes to the Financial Statements (unaudited)

1. Authority and objectives

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) was created as a new agency by orders in council on September 24, 2004 in response to growing concerns about the capacity of Canada's public health system to anticipate and respond effectively to public health threats. Its creation is the result of wide consultation with the provinces, territories, stakeholders and Canadians. It also follows recommendations from leading public health experts - including Dr. David Naylor's report, Learning from SARS: Renewal of Public Health in Canada, as well as other Canadian and international reports - for clear federal leadership on issues concerning public health and improved collaboration within and between jurisdictions. The Public Health Agency of Canada Act, assented to December 12, 2006, provides a statutory foundation for the new agency.

The Agency is mandated to work in collaboration with its partners, to lead federal efforts and to mobilize pan-Canadian action in preventing disease and injury, and to promote and protect national and international public health through the following:

• Anticipating, preparing for, responding to and recovering from threats to public health;
• Carrying out surveillance of, monitoring, researching, investigating and reporting on diseases, injuries, other preventable health risks and their determinants, and the general state of public health in Canada and internationally;
• Using the best available evidence and tools to advise and support public health stakeholders nationally and internationally as they work to enhance the health of their communities;
• Providing public health information, advice and leadership to Canadians and stakeholders; and
• Building and sustaining a public health network with stakeholders.

Strategic Outcome 1 : Canada is able to promote health, reduce health inequalities, and prevent and mitigate disease and injury.

In order to effectively pursue its mandate, the Agency aims to achieve a single strategic outcome supported by its Program Activity Architecture as listed below :

Science and Technology for Public Health
This program deals with the development and application of leading edge national public health science and innovative tools, providing specialized diagnostic laboratory testing and reference services, and mobilizing Canadian scientific capacity and networks to enable Canada to improve public health and better respond to emerging health risks.

Surveillance and Population Health Assessment
This program facilitates ongoing, systematic analysis, use and sharing of routinely-collected data with and among provinces, territories, local health authorities, and other federal departments and agencies so that they can be in a better position to safeguard the health of Canadians. This program is necessary because of the continuous risk to the health of Canadians from emerging infectious and chronic diseases as well as other population health risk factors that are present in the population. The program is geared towards working with federal departments and agencies, other levels of government, health professionals, hospitals and laboratories across the country to facilitate the development of surveillance systems and the sharing of information.

Public Health Preparedness and Capacity This program increases Canada's public health preparedness and capacity by: providing tools, training and practices that enhance the capabilities of organizations and people who have a role in Canada's public health system; increasing public health human resource capacity; developing and maintaining Canada's ability to prepare for public health emergencies; and by establishing/maintaining networks both within and outside Canada. The program is necessary as public health skills, tools and networks are required for Canada to be able to keep Canadians healthy.

Health Promotion
This program provides leadership and support in promoting health and reducing health disparities among Canadians. It supports Canadians in making healthy choices throughout all life stages through initiatives focussed on, for example, child development, families, lifestyles, and aging. It also facilitates the conditions that support these choices by working with and through others to address factors and determinants that influence health, such as health literacy, food security, social support networks and the built environment.

Disease and Injury Prevention and Mitigation
This program develops and implements strategies, undertakes prevention initiatives, and supports stakeholders to prevent and mitigate chronic disease, injury, and prevent and control infectious disease. This work leads federal efforts and works collaboratively to mobilize domestic efforts. This program is necessary given the current and potential impact of injury and chronic and infectious disease on the health of Canadians and the sustainability of the Canadian health care system.

Regulatory Enforcement and Emergency Response This program deals with providing regulatory enforcement; managing the Health Portfolio Operations Centers, the National Emergency Stockpile System and the Health Emergency Response Teams; and responding to national and international public health emergencies including natural disasters, serious outbreaks of infectious disease, such as pandemic influenza, or human caused emergencies.

Internal Services
Internal services support the Agency's strategic outcome and all six PA's. Internal services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are Management and Oversight Services, Communications Services, Legal Services, Human Resources Management Services, Financial Management Services, Information Management Services, Information Technology Services, Real Property Services, Materiel Services, Acquisition Services, and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal services include only those activities and resources that apply across the Agency and not those provided specifically to a program.