Health

  1. On September 30, we mark Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a time for all of us to remember the tragic history and ongoing impacts of residential schools—and to honour those who never returned home, survivors, as well as their families and communities.
  2. Yesterday, Health Canada launched the Canadian Product Safety Pledge for consumer products and cosmetics sold online.
  3. Yesterday, the Honourable Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, announced the launch of the Canadian Product Safety Pledge, with Amazon Canada and eBay Canada as the first signatories to the pledge.
  4. Today, the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced the launch of the 2023 national call for proposals for Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). The deadline to submit applications is November 22, 2023
  5. To help support the response to the overdose crisis and address harms related to substance use and the toxic illegal drug supply, the Government of Canada has announced more than $4 million in funding for four innovative community-led projects in Ottawa, Ontario.
  6. The Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will hold a news conference to announce funding and next steps for the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP).
  7. Health Canada has authorized the use of the Pfizer Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant for people six months of age and older.
  8. the Government of Canada announced more than $1.6 million in funding to support the projects of The Endometriosis Network Canada and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Supported by Health Canada’s SRH Fund, these projects will help improve access to vital services and reduce barriers to care by developing resources for people living with endometriosis and health care providers.
  9. The Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Fund was established to support a wide range of evidence-informed and innovative projects that address the pressing needs of people in Canada who are at increased risk for poorer SRH outcomes, such as members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, Indigenous and racialized people, newcomers to Canada, women, and youth.
  10. Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, on behalf of the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, will hold a news conference to announce funding to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for people living with endometriosis.
  11. This month was International Pain Awareness Month, a time dedicated to improving our understanding of chronic pain, an often invisible condition that affects one in five Canadians across the country.
  12. Today, during Living Donation Week, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced key milestones achieved through the Pan-Canadian Data and Performance Reporting System for Organ Donation and Transplantation (ODT) initiative that will help Canada become a world leader with respect to ODT services.
  13. Amendment request granted to British Columbia for the subsection 56(1) exemption from Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Law enforcement in B.C. will have the authority to seize drugs, and arrest or charge for personal possession of under 2.5 grams in certain locations frequented by children and youth
  14. Today, during Living Donation Week, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced key milestones achieved through the Improving Access to LDKT in Ethno-racial Minority Communities in Canada (ACTION) project. The project will help improve equitable access to LDKT for patients with kidney failure from marginalized communities in British Columbia and Ontario.
  15. Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, welcomed the release of the Canadian MAiD Curriculum developed by the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers (CAMAP). This Curriculum is the first nationally accredited, bilingual MAiD education program available to licensed physicians and nurse practitioners across the country and will help achieve a safe and consistent approach to care.
  16. Health Canada has authorized the use of the Moderna SPIKEVAX™ COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant for people six months of age and older.
  17. Government of Canada officials will hold a technical briefing on COVID-19 vaccines in Canada and be available to address other public health concerns.
  18. Today, the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced more than $1.8 million in federal funding for three projects funded in Hamilton through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). 
  19. To help support the response to the overdose crisis and address harms related to substance use and the toxic illegal drug supply, the Government of Canada has announced more than $1.8 million in funding for three innovative community-led projects in Hamilton, Ontario.
  20. Today marks World Suicide Prevention Day, an opportunity to recognize the impact of suicide on families and communities, and to reiterate the Government of Canada’s commitment to improving access to mental health help and preventing suicide in Canada.
  21. The Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will announce funding under the Substance Use and Addictions Program for people living in Hamilton, Ontario.
  22. The Government of Canada is committed to reducing the number of people in Canada who smoke cigarettes and use other tobacco products to less than 5% of the population by 2035. Today, public consultations are being launched to inform the second legislative review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA).
  23. Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced close to $1.3 million in funding from Health Canada’s SRH Fund to support projects led by the Sexuality Education Resource Centre Manitoba and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Black, African and Caribbean (CHABAC) Network housed at HIV Edmonton.
  24. Today, the Government of Canada is providing close to $1.3 million from the SRH Fund to the Sexuality Resource Centre Manitoba and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Black, African and Caribbean (CHABAC) Network housed at HIV Edmonton.
  25. The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, will announce funding to strengthen access to sexual and reproductive health services and reduce barriers to care for underserved communities in the Canadian Prairies.
  26. Today, Shaun Chen, Member of Parliament for Scarborough North, on behalf of the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced more than $81,000 in federal funding for L’Espoir de la Femme Immigrante, a non-for-profit community organization that aim to support young girls and women in the city of Toronto through social, economic, educational, and cultural services.
  27. Shaun Chen, Member of Parliament for Scarborough North, on behalf of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will announce funding under the Substance Use and Addictions Program.
  28. To help support the response to the overdose crisis and address harms related to substance use and the toxic illegal drug supply, the Government of Canada has announced more than $1.8 million in funding for three innovative community-led projects in Guelph, Ontario. With this funding, these projects will help improve health outcomes for people who are at risk of experiencing substance-related harms and overdose by scaling up prevention, harm reduction and treatment efforts.
  29. Today, Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced more than $1.8 million in federal funding for three projects in Guelph through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). This funding will allow the organizations to increase access to services for people who use drugs in the region of Guelph.
  30. Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, on behalf of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will announce funding under the Substance Use and Addictions Program.
  31. Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, and the Honourable Mark V. McLane, Minister of Health and Wellness for Prince Edward Island (PEI), announced that PEI residents have saved over $675,000 out-of-pocket costs on more than 77,000 prescriptions.
  32. Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced a new appointment to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB).
  33. The Honourable Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, and the Honourable Mark McLane P.E.I. Minister of Health and Wellness will provide an update to the Improving Affordable Access to Prescriptions Drugs program.
  34. Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced more than $4.3 million in funding from the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Fund to support projects led by British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority (Indigenous Health), the National Council of Indigenous Midwives via the Canadian Association of Midwives, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, and Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak.
  35. The Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Fund was established to support a wide range of evidence-informed and innovative projects that address the pressing needs of people in Canada who are at increased risk for poorer SRH outcomes in Canada, such as members of Indigenous and racialized people, women, youth, and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
  36. Today, Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced more than $237,000 for Réseau ACCESS Network’s Wellness Navigation Program through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program.
  37. Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, on behalf of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will announce funding for the Réseau ACCESS Network under the Substance Use and Addictions Program.
  38. The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, will announce funding to strengthen access to sexual and reproductive health services and reduce barriers to care for Indigenous people in Canada.
  39. Today, the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced $2.5 million for two projects led by the First Peoples Wellness Circle (FPWC) that focus on mental health supports for Indigenous Peoples.
  40. Since the launch of the second benefit period on July 1, 2023, the Canada Dental Benefit has helped more than 100,000 children get brighter smiles and healthier teeth.
  41. Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors, announced the launch of a public online consultation to support the development of a Safe LTC Act.
  42. Today, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced the signature of an agreement with Prince Edward Island to continue to improve access to home and community care, as well as mental health and addiction services.
  43. The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will announce funding to improve mental health supports for Indigenous Peoples.
  44. The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, will announce funding to continue supporting access to home and community care, as well as mental health and addiction services in Prince Edward Island.
  45. Today, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) announced the appointment of a new co-chair to its Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products (SAC-PCP), Dr. Eric Liberda.
  46. Following a Health Canada investigation, Pedro Acuna Saavedra, the sole director of Primordial Beauty Inc., doing business as Genesis II Church Chapter #291, pleaded guilty to charges under the Food and Drugs Act related to the sale of unauthorized drugs containing sodium chlorite, commonly known as Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS).
  47. Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced $560,000 in funding over two years to the University of Alberta to conduct the first comprehensive national review of how MAID is provided across the country, and expand understanding about individual and family experiences with MAID.
  48. Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, alongside Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, announced more than $20 million in federal funding for 42 projects across British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP).
  49. To help support the response to the overdose crisis and address harms related to substance use and the toxic drug supply, the Government of Canada has announced more than $20 million in funding for 42 innovative community-led projects across British Columbia and the Prairies.
  50. Today, the Government of Canada and the Government of Nunavut are taking the next step by announcing an agreement in principle for a shared plan that will invest $381 million in federal funding over 10 years in Nunavut, including $70 million for a new bilateral agreement focusing on shared health priorities. This investment also includes $127 million in CHT growth since 2022-2023, a guaranteed 5 per cent growth to the CHT for the next five years (expected additional value of $17 million over 10 years), and $2 million through an immediate one-time CHT top-up to address urgent needs, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries.