The chief public health officer of Canada is the lead health professional and primary spokesperson on public health related matters for the Government of Canada. The chief public health officer provides advice to the minister of health and the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, works in collaboration with the agency president in the agency's leadership and management, and works with other departments and levels of government on public health matters. PHAC, along with the CPHO post was established in 2004 amidst the SARS crisis. The 3rd and current chief public health officer of Canada is Theresa Tam, who was appointed in 2017.
Overview
The chief public health officer position was created by the government in 2004, along with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Per the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, the CPHO holds office "during pleasure for a term not exceeding five years". The CPHO can be reappointed for additional terms. The CPHO is selected through an open and transparent national competitive process, and is appointed by the Governor in Council. The process is merit-based: as per the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, the CPHO must be a qualified public health professional.
Responsibilities
The CPHO is responsible for:
Providing public health advice to the minister of health and to the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and, as appropriate, work with other federal departments and agencies, provincial/territorial governments, the international community, health practitioners and Canadians on public health issues;
Giving the minister of health an annual report on Canadian public health;
Providing leadership of the Public Health Agency of Canada;
Taking a leadership/advocacy role in national public health matters and citizen engagement in public health;
Taking accountability for health provisions related to official acts ; and
Assuming the role of the federal government spokesperson on public health issues, in particular, during public health emergencies.
During public health emergencies, such as outbreaks or natural disasters, the CPHO is responsible for:
Working with relevant professionals and officials to plan responses and to provide Canadians with information about plan outbreak responses and how to protect themselves;
Providing briefings and advice to the president of the Public Health Agency, the minister of health, and others; and
Communicating public health information to Canadians via different channels.
Areas of focus
2017–present
Theresa Tam, who has held the position since 26 June 2017, released a vision statement in early 2018. She wishes to pay particular attention to the reduction of health discrepancies in the country, which includes collaborating with and reducing the socioeconomic gap of Indigenous Peoples. Her six areas of focus are currently:
The reduction of Tuberculosis in at-risk populations; and
Promoting education on substances, particularly their effects on youth
As CPHO, Tam wrote Fifteen years post-SARS: Key milestones in Canada's public health emergency response, in which she remarked somewhat presciently as it turns out that:
