Introduction This section will cover the stakeholders in Canada's healthcare system from the macro level and moves onto the micro-level, from major public stakeholders to healthcare professionals, to associations and NGOs.

Contents:

Major Public Stakeholders

Health Portfolio

A portfolio is a group of federal organizations, usually within a similar sphere, and in this case, it is within the health sphere. A portfolio usually reports to a Minister or Parliament through a minister. The health portfolio comprises Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This page will explain the first four institutions and exclude the food inspection agency due to the scope of this website, specifically on healthcare. However, information is all public and can be found at Canada.gov.ca.

Health Canada

Health Canada is the health department of Canada's federal government to ensure access to high-quality health services and works to reduce health risks. Services under Health Canada include regulating the use of consumer goods, drugs, biologics, medical devices, and natural health products. A list of products and health risks that Health Canada regulates include health products, workplace safety, devices that give off radiation, controlled substances and precursors, food, veterinary drugs, tobacco products, consumer products, cosmetics, pesticides, environmental health risks, cannabis. This department functions as the regulator of Canada's healthcare system; it regulates product safety, provides health information, and reduces environmental risks and illegal drug and tobacco use. Alongside scientists, the department uses science to conduct risk assessments and make regulatory decisions.

Public Health Agency of Canada

This institution focuses on preventing chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart diseases. It also responds to public health emergencies and responds to infectious disease outbreaks.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Canada's funding agency for health research. It comprises 13 institutes that collaborate with partners and researchers to support the research going into innovations and discoveries that improve the health system. The 13 institutes include aging, cancer research, circulatory and respiratory research, gender and health, genetics, health services, and policy research, human development (child and youth health), indigenous people's health, infection and immunity, musculoskeletal health and arthritis, neurosciences mental health and addiction, nutrition metabolism and diabetes, population, and public health.

Patented Medicine Prices Review Board

The PMPRB protects and informs Canadian consumers by ensuring the prices of patented medicines sold are not overpriced and by reporting pharmaceutical trends. Under the Patent Act, the PMPRB submits annual reports of its analysis of various price trends in the pharmaceutical industry to Parliament. All of the statements are made public and can be found at this link:

Departmental Plan

Regional Health Authorities

Health regions, also known as health authorities, are a governance model used by Canada's provincial governments to deliver public health care to all Canadian residents. Healthcare is designed as a provincial responsibility due to the separation of powers in Canada's federal system. Most of the health regions are organized along geographic boundaries, although some are along operational lines. A full reference map containing all the boundaries, names, and codes of health regions and peer groups by province can be found in this PDF published by Statistics Canada at: