¶ Public Health Agency of Canada
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The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is an agency of the Government of Canada responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention.
¶ History
PHAC provided funding for a report in 2009 by Bio.Diaspora titled “An Analysis of Canada’s Vulnerability to Emerging Infectious Disease Threats via the Global Airline Transportation Network.”[1]
PHAC's rVSV-ZEBOV-G candidate vaccine for Ebola was the subject of an August 2014 development funding agreement between the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and BioProtection Systems.[2] Dr. Robert Malone was tapped by the DTRA to lead the program.[3][4]
In 2016, the Government of Canada announced $25 million in funding "to increase and maintain vaccination coverage in Canada," resulting in the creation of the Immunization Partnership Fund.[5]
¶ COVID-19
On March 23, 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced PHAC had contracted BlueDot, an artificial intelligence software company, for COVID-19 modelling and monitoring.[6][7]
In response to the declared COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Canada convened a Clinical Pharmacology Task Group (CPTG), an ad-hoc advisory committee comprised of specialists in the fields of infectious disease, microbiology, clinical pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences. The group's work concluded on March 30, 2021, citing the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines.[8]
¶ Mass vaccination campaign
On November 7, 2020, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) announced the launch of Operation VECTOR, providing assistance to PHAC's Vaccine Roll-out Task Force. Major-General Dany Fortin was seconded to PHAC to serve as vice president of logistics and operations, joined on his team by Brigadiers-General Simon Bernard and Krista Brodie.[9][10]
PHAC ran its first mass advertising campaign for COVID-19 vaccines, titled "COVID-19 Vaccines and You," from March 8-16, 2021.[11]
On May 17, 2021, PHAC announced the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign "to remind Canadians about the collective vaccination effort required to see a reduction in restrictions and public health measures." Titled "Ripple Effect," the campaign had a budget of $11 million, and ran from May 17, 2021 to July 4, 2021 on TV, radio, print media, public signs, and social media.[11:1][12]
In the spring of 2021, PHAC offered grants through the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge and the Immunization Partnership Fund to promote COVID-19 vaccines in Canada.[13][14][5:1]
¶ Lockdown surveillance
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, PHAC accessed data from some 33 million Canadian cell phones in order to track the movements of Canadians while under lockdown measures.[15] In March 2021, the Agency awarded a contract to the TELUS Data For Good program to provide “de-identified and aggregated data” of movement trends in Canada. However, Telus was not the only third party involved; in May 2022, it was revealed that artificial intelligence company BlueDot had also been awarded a similar contract, and had used the data accessed to view a detailed snapshot of people's behaviour, including visits to the grocery store, gatherings with family and friends, time spent at home and trips to other towns and provinces.[16][17]
On May 6, 2022, PHAC awarded a contract to Bavarian Nordic to provide 500,000 units of Imvamune to the Canadian stockpile.[18] The tender announcement described the purchase as being in anticipation of a potential accidental or intentional release of smallpox.[19]
On June 27, 2022, PHAC announced nine projects to receive a total of $28.2 million in funding in order to "address posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma in frontline and other essential workers, and others affected by the pandemic." The results of these projects would be gathered and shared through the Canadian Institute for Pandemic Health Education and Response (CIPHER). Recipients included the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) at the University of Regina, the MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre at the Lawson Health Research Institute, McMaster University and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).[20]
¶ Public disclosures
In March 2023, PHAC disclosed 1000+ pages of documents in response to a request under the Access to Information and Privacy Act (ATIP) related to ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.[21]
On June 12, 2023, the PHAC and Health Canada disclosed that both agencies were aware of the document titled "5.3.6 CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB-2021" published by Pfizer under court order in January 2022, but its contents did not affect the agencies' recommendations for the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.[22]
¶ Organization
The Public Health Agency of Canada manages the Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS).[23]
¶ Subsidiaries
- Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch
- Health Security and Infrastructure Branch
- Strategic Policy Branch (SPB)
- Vaccine Roll-out Task Force
¶ Personnel
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heather Jeffrey | President[24] | Health Canada, Global Affairs Canada |
| Nooshin Ahmadipour | Head of CAEFISS[25] | Vaccine Vigilance Working Group (VVWG)[26] |
| Cathy Allison | Director General, Pandemic Communications Response (March 2020 - July 2023)[27] | Communications and Public Affairs Branch, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Public Safety Canada |
| Helen Anyoti | Vaccine Safety Officer[28] | Global Health Laboratories[29] |
| Shanty Belanger | Policy Analyst[30] | Transport Canada |
| Dany Fortin | Vice President Logistics and Operations[9:1] | Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) |
| Kaili Levesque | Vice-President, COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout[31] | Health Canada |
| Daniel Rassi | Executive Assistant[32] | - |
¶ Publications
- March 2021: Report of adverse events following immunization (AEFI)
- Last updated June 12, 2024: Canada's role in the development of an international pandemic agreement
¶ Freedom of Information
- March 15, 2023: ATIP disclosure re: Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine
- June 12, 2023: Order Paper Question re: 5.3.6 CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB-2021
- June 16, 2023: Order Paper Question re: Adverse event reporting webpage
¶ External links
An Analysis of Canada’s Vulnerability to Emerging Infectious Disease Threats via the Global Airline Transportation Network. (2009). The Centre for Research on Inner City Health; St. Michael’s Hospital. https://web.archive.org/web/20230919164806/https://paulojraposo.github.io/assets/biodiasporareport2009_lowres.pdf ↩︎
Link, G. (2014, August 5). NewLink Genetics Corporation, Through Its Wholly Owned Subsidiary, BioProtection Systems Corporation, Secures a Letter Contract From the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for Testing and Evaluation of Ebola Virus Vaccine. Lumos Pharma. http://archive.today/2023.02.25-194304/http://investors.linkp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/newlink-genetics-corporation-through-its-wholly-owned-subsidiary ↩︎
The Team. Atheric Pharmaceutical. Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://web.archive.org/web/20170714055404/http://www.atheric.com/team ↩︎
Malone, R. W. (2017, March). RWM CV. Squarespace. https://web.archive.org/web/20230119104151/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/550b0ac4e4b0c16cdea1b084/t/58e5406b5016e1f1acacae75/1491419246742/RWM+CV+March+2017.pdf ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2023, April 21). Immunization Partnership Fund. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20230505194036/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization-vaccine-priorities/immunization-partnership-fund.html ↩︎ ↩︎
The first company to identify the coronavirus outbreak – Bluedot. (2020, June 23). Bayslope. http://archive.today/2022.02.24-082245/https://bayslope.com/the-first-company-to-identify-the-coronavirus-outbreak-bluedot/ ↩︎
Canada’s plan to mobilize science to fight COVID-19. (2020). Prime Minister of Canada. http://archive.today/2022.02.24-201446/https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/03/23/canadas-plan-mobilize-science-fight-covid-19 ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, June 15). Ad-hoc COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2022.04.01-013805/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/external-advisory-bodies/list/covid-19-clinical-pharmacology-task-group.html%23a3 ↩︎
Department of National Defence. (2021, August 17). Op VECTOR (CAF support to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines). Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20240716024656/https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/proactive-disclosure/secd-state-of-caf-19-april-2021/reference-material/op-vector.html ↩︎ ↩︎
Department of National Defence. (2020, December 17). Operation VECTOR. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20201218060121/https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/military-operations/current-operations/operation-vector.html ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, May 17). Government of Canada launches new “Ripple Effect” advertising campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccination. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2024.05.11-022051/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/05/government-of-canada-launches-new-ripple-effect-advertising-campaign-to-encourage-covid-19-vaccination.html ↩︎ ↩︎
COVID-19 vaccines: We can all help by getting vaccinated. (2021, May 7). Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20210525055228/https://health.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/video/covid-19-vaccines-help-getting-vaccinated.html ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2023, May 30). Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge: Overview and funding recipients. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20230608123643/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/funding-opportunities/grant-contribution-funding-opportunities/vaccine-community-innovation-challenge.html ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, March 8). Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge: Overview. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20210309204932/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/funding-opportunities/grant-contribution-funding-opportunities/vaccine-community-innovation-challenge.html ↩︎
Oli, S. (2021, December 27). Canada’s public health agency admits it tracked 33 million mobile devices during lockdown. National Post. http://archive.today/2021.12.28-044427/https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadas-public-health-agency-admits-it-tracked-33-million-mobile-devices-during-lockdown ↩︎
Woolf, M. (2022, May 5). Canadians’ trips to liquor stores, pharmacies tracked via phones during pandemic. CP24. http://archive.today/2022.05.06-055451/https://www.cp24.com/news/canadians-trips-to-liquor-stores-pharmacies-tracked-via-phones-during-pandemic-1.5890349 ↩︎
Kelly, P. (2022). Collection and use of mobility data by the Government of Canada and related issues. House of Commons Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20220726004633/https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/ETHI/Reports/RP11736929/ethirp04/ethirp04-e.pdf ↩︎
Public Services and Procurement Canada. (2022, April 21). Third Generation Smallpox Vaccine (6D024-215700/A). Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20220620184646/https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-PH-893-81160 ↩︎
Osman, L. (2022, May 20). Canada considering smallpox vaccine for monkeypox cases, says Dr. Theresa Tam. CTV News. http://archive.today/2022.05.22-024443/https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canada-considering-smallpox-vaccine-for-monkeypox-cases-says-dr-theresa-tam-1.5913357 ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2022, June 27). Government of Canada invests in supporting those most at risk of posttraumatic stress disorder. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2024.07.01-180419/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/06/backgrounder-government-of-canada-invests-in-supporting-those-most-at-risk-of-posttraumatic-stress-disorder.html ↩︎
Emails about Ivermectin, HCQ, etc - A-2021-000364 - 2022-06-14. (2023, March 15). Public Health Agency of Canada. https://www.campfire.wiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=releasepackage-phac-a-2021-000129-2022-04-12.pdf ↩︎
van Koeverden, A. (2023). Order Paper Question - Q-1448. Internet Archive; Government of Canada. https://archive.org/details/order-paper-question-q-1448 ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2023, April 5). Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS). Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20230619212957/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/canadian-adverse-events-following-immunization-surveillance-system-caefiss.html ↩︎
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2023, February 27). President of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2024.04.10-001308/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/organizational-structure/president.html ↩︎
Nooshin Ahmadipour. LinkedIn. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.11.14-045907/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nooshin-ahmadipour-4aba4b57/?originalSubdomain=ca ↩︎
Ahmadipour, N., Toth, E., & Law, B. (2014). Canada’s Vaccine Vigilance Working Group. Canada Communicable Disease Report, 40(S3), 37–40. https://doi.org/10.14745/ccdr.v40is3a05 ↩︎
Cathy Allison. LinkedIn. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.11.14-172323/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-allison-30b3011a/ ↩︎
Helen Anyoti. GOC411. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20231114182246/https://www.goc411.ca/en/113262/Helen-Anyoti ↩︎
Profile for Helen Anyoti. Global Health Laboratories. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.11.14-182025/https://globalhealthlaboratories.tghn.org/community/members/108813/ ↩︎
Shanty Belanger. LinkedIn. Retrieved July 4, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanty-belanger-50924477/ ↩︎
Kaili Levesque. (2022, October 12). Prime Minister of Canada. http://archive.today/2024.04.09-231029/https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/2022/10/12/kaili-levesque ↩︎
Daniel Rassi. GOC411. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from http://archive.today/2024.04.09-235019/https://www.goc411.ca/316821/Daniel-Rassi ↩︎