A System Approach to Managing Animal Health in Canada

Understanding the Factors Influencing Animal Health and the Process Leading to a National Animal Health Strategy for Canada

Table of Contents

Responding to this Changing Global Environment

• Planning the Future
• A Participatory Approach
• Involving Scientists
• Engaging Aboriginals
• Involving Partners in Academic Institutions
• Involving the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments

Every country in the world is developing approaches to take advantage of the opportunities created by climate change, advances in science and technology, population change and globalization, and to face the challenges that these global drivers will also bring.  In an editorial published by the Director General of the OIE, Bernard Vallat encouraged the international community to strengthen its capacities to deal with the new emerging risks to animal health.

As a result of globalization and climate change we are currently facing an unprecedented worldwide impact of emerging and re-emerging animal diseases and zoonoses (animal diseases transmissible to humans).  Improving the governance of animal health systems in both the public and private sector is the most effective response to this alarming situation.1

Many countries have developed strategies to deal with animal health and welfare.  Annex 1 provides an overview of those developed by Australia, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the European Union. 

Animals, animal products and their associated service sectors are significant engines of the regional economy of our country from coast to coast to coast.  This animal resource is at risk from pathogens, parasites or contaminants affecting our ecosystems. Figure 9 illustrates the interdependency between different groups of animals using avian influenza as an example of risk continuum in the ecosystem.

Canada's animal health system is based on jurisdictional authorities that do not integrate animal health, public health and ecosystem health.  Annex 2 provides tables of the legislative framework of each province, territory and of the federal government. 

Canada needs to find new, inclusive and multi-jurisdictional approaches to deal with the interdependencies so that we better understand pathways, risk factors and ecosystem impact of human interventions and put in place measures to understand and manage risks better. 

Figure 9 - Avian Influenza Risk Continuum [D]