1. Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé publique du Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada
Agence de la santé publique du Canada
Roles for the Health Sector
in Advancing Health Equity in Public Policies
8th Global Conference for Health Promotion
Plenary: Health Promotion and Closing the Health Equity Gap
Dr. Gregory Taylor
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Helsinki, Finland

2. Overview
• Advancing Health Equity: Canadian Context and
the Ottawa Charter
• Roles for the Health Sector
• Success Factors
Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé publique du Canada 1

3. Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé publique du Canada 2
“The fundamental conditions and
resources for health are:
Peace
Shelter
Education
Food
Income
A stable ecosystem
Sustainable resources
Social justice and equity.”
-Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion,
1986

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Dr. Andrés Petrasovits

5. 4
1989: Canada Child Tax Benefit
1966: Medicare, Pension Plan
1952: Old Age Security Program
1940: Unemployment Insurance
Provincial/Territorial anti-
poverty strategies in place
A history of social
democracy

6. Canadian Context
• Not all health trends improving
• Persistent inequalities – income, sex and gender,
geography
• Aboriginal populations face particular challenges
• Change drivers (e.g.: demographics, globalization,
technology)
Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé publique du Canada 5

7. Global Lessons: Reducing Inequalities – Roles for the Health
Sector
International Efforts involving Canada
• Lessons Learned from Canadian
Experiences with Intersectoral Action to
Address Determinants of Health: 8 case
studies
• Health Equity Through Intersectoral
Action – analysis
• Addressing Social Determinants of
Health Through Intersectoral Actions
• A Cross-Country Analysis of the
Institutionalization of Health Impact
Assessment
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• 2011: World Conference on Social
Determinants of Health;
• UN Non-Communicable Diseases
Summit

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Partner
Advocate
Cheerlead
Enable
Lead
Mitigate
Advancing Health Equity: Roles for the Health Sector

9. • Mexico National Agreement for
Healthy Food
• Cholera prevention and control in
Haiti
• Act Now BC
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Lead

10. • Oportunidades – Mexico
• Cash Transfer Programs –
Brazil, Chile
• Manitoba Child Health
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Partner

11. • New Zealand – data collection and
reporting
• Canada – Pathways to Health Equity
for Aboriginal Peoples
• Canadian Council on Social
Determinants of Health
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Enable

12. • South Australia – Health in All
Policies approach
• Thailand – Health Impact
Assessment
• Quebec Public Health Law
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Advocate

13. • Sri Lanka – mid-20th Century
rapid transition
• Provincial and Territorial anti-
poverty strategies
Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé publique du Canada 12
Cheerlead

14. • Health Equity Impact
Assessments
• BC Tri-Partite Agreement
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Mitigate

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Success Factors and Considerations
Partner
Advocate
Cheerlead
Enable
Lead
Mitigate
• Intersectoral Approaches
• Citizen Participation
• Space for Deliberation
• Transparent Documentation
• Integrated Measurement and
Monitoring
• Learning
• Openness

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"It's amazing how much can be accomplished if no
one cares who gets the credit.”