http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2005/30/c5206.html

"Minister Bennett and Manitoba Minister of Healthy Living, Theresa Oswald,
are conducting a series of similar
consultation roundtables across the country in an effort to make Canada the
healthiest country in the world."

[I would prefer her title be "Manitoba Minister of Healthy Living
Conditions" - dr]

Attention News Editors:
Federal and provincial ministers convene local consultations to examine
Public Health Goals for Canada

    WHITEHORSE, May 30 /CNW Telbec/ - Federal Minister of State (Public
Health) Carolyn Bennett and Yukon Health and Social Services Minister,
Peter
Jenkins, will hold a public health goals consultation today at the High
Country Inn in B Room at 4051, 4th Avenue from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

    The ministers will convene roundtable discussions with local public
health stakeholders, experts and concerned citizens to examine how public
health goals should be established in Canada. Minister Bennett and Manitoba
Minister of Healthy Living, Theresa Oswald, are conducting a series of
similar
consultation roundtables across the country in an effort to make Canada the
healthiest country in the world.

    At the First Ministers' Meeting in September 2004, the prime minister
and
the premiers signed a 10-year action plan to pursue better health care for
all
Canadians. Part of this plan included a commitment to establish health
goals
to improve the health of Canadians and reduce the pressure on the health
care
system.

    "Keeping as many Canadians healthy for as long as possible means
looking
beyond health departments to broader determinants of health, such as
poverty,
violence, environment, shelter, education and equity," said Minister
Bennett.
"Involving Canadians in this process will ensure the goals we set will be
relevant and responsive to increase our understanding of the complexity of
health."

    Federal, provincial and territorial governments have agreed to work
together to improve the health status of Canadians by developing public
health
goals. The goal-setting exercise will demonstrate work being done by all
jurisdictions and provide a framework to help align efforts. Provincial and
territorial health ministers will appoint representatives to a reference
group
to synthesize the roundtable results.

    "The Government of Yukon believes it is important to establish a solid
set of public health goals," said Minister Jenkins. "Yukon has garnered a
great reputation for its public health services. We are pleased to host
this
ground-breaking roundtable discussion in this territory to ask how
Canadians
can pursue healthy practices before they get sick."

    Many provincial and territorial governments have identified public
health
goals for their jurisdictions. This process will build on this work and
utilize the experience and knowledge of other countries that have
established
public health goals elsewhere.

    "Only we can decide what the appropriate public health goals are for
Canadians in the 21st century and the best approaches for arriving at
them,"
said Minister Oswald. "It is clear that whatever goals we finally adopt,
all
sectors of society must be intricately involved in the process and their
adoption for them to be endorsed by Canadians."

    The consultations include roundtable meetings in each province and
territory. Ministers Bennett and Oswald will host the roundtables with
25-35
public health stakeholders. Roundtables were held in western Canada through
Ontario in early April and they continued in the four Atlantic's Provinces
at
the end of April.

    A series of events will also be hosted across the country on specific
public health themes that relate to the six new National Collaborating
Centres
for Public Health, as well as a possible youth summit.

    A summary of this roundtable and others will be posted on the Public
Health Goals for Canada web site at www.healthycanadians.ca . Additional
information and an electronic survey on the Canada-wide consultation
process
are available on the web site, giving Canadians the opportunity to become
directly involved in the process.

    Elected officials, community groups and non-governmental organizations
will also be provided with a public health goals consultation activity
guide
so they can host roundtables within their own communities.

                                            Egalement disponible en
français

For further information: Media Inquiries: Jean-Mathieu Dion, Public
Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, (613) 948-7970; Tricia Geddes, Office of
the
Minister of State for Public Health, Carolyn Bennett, Ottawa, (613)
299-6940



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