Annual Conference of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Health

CHARLOTTETOWN -- Federal, Provincial and Territorial (F/P/T) Ministers of Health today launched Toward a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians (1999), a landmark public policy report that offers a snapshot of the health of Canadians at the start of a new millennium.

      The report was released at the annual September meeting of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers of Health being held in Charlottetown.

      "This report gives us the most current information available on the health of Canadians and the factors that contribute to the state of their health," stated Allan Rock, the federal Minister of Health, who released the report with Mildred Dover, Minister of Health and Social Services for Prince Edward Island, on behalf of the F/P/T Ministers. "It identifies priorities for action across society that will contribute to the health and well-being of Canadians. It will serve as a valuable tool in engaging not only Health Ministers but all sectors of society and all Canadians in action on such key concerns as early childhood development and the nurturing of good health throughout life."

      "Toward a Healthy Future is significant and important to policy makers, health care practitioners and the public," said Minister Dover. "This report informs us of the current and future challenges in health. It assists us in identifying broad, comprehensive and collaborative actions at a federal and provincial level that can be taken to further improve the health of Canadians."

      The report notes that many Canadians enjoy a high level of health which continues to improve. Canada ranks in the top three developed countries in the world in measures of life expectancy, self-rated health and mortality rates. Canada's infant mortality rate has dropped below the level of six infant deaths per 1000 live births for the first time.

      However, the report also notes that this overall high standard of health is not shared equitably by all sectors of society. Three main groups are identified as being particularly vulnerable: children, youth and aboriginal people. Canada's aboriginal people are at higher risk than the Canadian population as a whole for poor health and early death. Evidence is emerging that suggests an opportunity to provide children with the supportive environments they need to thrive. The report finds that growing up healthy also depends on positive parenting, stable home and school life, and safe neighbourhoods.

      The report takes a population health approach in its organization and analysis. The goals of a population health approach are to maintain and improve the health of the entire population, and to decrease inequities in health status among various population groups. This approach focuses on the interrelated conditions in the broad environment that most influence health, and applies the evidence to suggest priority areas for action.

      In this report, health is viewed as more than the absence of disease. It uses the World Health Organization's definition in which health is seen as a complete state of physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

      Toward a Healthy Future looks at the effects of socioeconomic status and gender on health and provides a wealth of information on health status, income and income distribution, education and literacy, employment, working conditions, social environment, child development, youth, the physical environment, personal health practices, health services, and biology and genetic endowment.

      Each chapter contains a summary of the highlights and a discussion of the implications of the findings for policy, practice and research. The final chapter suggests a vision for the future and three broad priorities for action. A 10-page executive summary provides an overview of the major findings and a detailed appendix provides data on individual provinces and territories.

      All jurisdictions made a significant contribution to the report through the F/P/T Advisory Committee on Population Health, in collaboration with Health Canada, Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and a project team from the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto. A complementary document, the Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians (1999), provides detailed statistics on more than 80 topics.

      The full text of the public policy report (approximately 225 pages) Toward a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians and the Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians (1999) are available on the Health Canada web site: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca. The Statistical Report is also available on the Statistics Canada web site: http://www.statcan.ca and the web site of the Canadian Institute for Health Information: http://www.cihi.ca.

      Ministers also released Investing in Early Child Development: The Health Sector's Contribution.* This report reaffirms the importance of the early childhood period and identifies priorities for joint action, such as ensuring that children are healthy physically and emotionally and ensuring that children are safe and secure.

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*Quebec has participated in the development of the paper and it agrees with the objectives of the National Children's Agenda. However, Quebec has decided not to participate in this initiative because it wishes to assume full control over social policies and programs in its own jursdiction, notably those involving children and the family. Moreover, Quebec has not signed the social union framework agreement.

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Toward a Healthy Future Backgrounders: (See http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca)

                                               

Toward a Healthy Future            Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians (1999)            How Healthy Are Canadians?            The Socioeconomic Environment and Health            Investing in Early Childhood            Improving the Health and Well-Being of Canada's Youth            Improving the Health of Canada's Aboriginal People            Health Services and Population Health            Investing in Early Child Development: The Health Sector's Contribution

                                               

Media Inquiries:                        Derek Kent            Office of Allan Rock            (613) 957-1515                        Jeffrey Pender            Health Canada            (613) 957-2988                        Public Inquiries:            Health Canada            (613) 957-2991

Jean Doherty            P.E.I. Health and Social Services            (902) 368-6257

Public Inquiries: (613) 957-2991