Engaging Partners in Strengthening Canada's Animal Health System

Proposing a Framework to Engage Partners in the development of a National Animal Health Strategy for Canada

Table of Contents

An Iterative Process to Engage Partners

• Phase 1 - Scoping
• Phase 2 - Defining Issues and Formulating Strategic Objectives
• Phase 3 - Reconciling Objectives and Formulating Strategic Actions
• Phase 4 - Formulating Precise Short, Medium and Long Term Action Plans

Engaging all partners at the same time is an important but daunting task.  In order to facilitate the dialogues between the different partners, a generic process has been developed.  It involves four phases, each of which are culminating in a stocktaking multi-partner workshop with government and non-government representatives.

Phase 1 - Scoping

The first phase of the process sets the basic framework for developing the Strategy i.e. defining what we mean by animal, animal health, animal welfare, and agreeing on the rules of engagement of each partner organization.  It is also an important step in researching and documenting the current system and its components, as well as in defining our vision for Canada's future animal health system.  Figure 2 illustrates the typical timeframe for this phase.

This first phase starts with a multi-partner meeting planned for June 5-6, 2007 in Chateau Cartier, Gatineau, Quebec.  The objectives of this workshop are:

1. articulating what are the components of Canada's animal health system;
2. documenting what are the current roles and responsibilities of the different partners in Canada's animal health system;
3. encouraging dialogue between animal health partners caring for different groups of animals in Canada's animal health system.

Figure 2 - Typical Timeframe Related to Scoping the Work with Partners [D]

Every partner organization works at different pace.  However, it is estimated that most partner organizations will take about 3 meetings to complete the first phase proposed.  A second multi-partner workshop is therefore planned for September 2007.  Three objectives are proposed for this workshop:

• taking stock of the different working groups' deliberations on what elements should the Strategy include;
• defining what should be the broad roles and responsibilities of governments, non-government organizations and individual Canadians in developing and implementing these elements;
• encouraging dialogue between animal health partners playing a different role in Canada's system and caring for different groups of animals.

The Strategic elements represent groups of approaches, actions, or categories of objectives that will help partners refine their strategic objectives in Canada's future animal health system.

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Phase 2 - Defining Issues and Formulating Strategic Objectives

Each partner organization has specific interests in the Strategy development.  Those should be respected.

The main objectives of this Phase are to refine the scope of the Strategy by defining the problematic more precisely.  This can be done by answering the following four questions:

• "what are our strengths",
• "what are our issues",
• "what are the common components between working groups" and
• "what are the unique components of this working group".

This discussion will lead to another multi-partners workshop on January 15-16, 2008.  This meeting will be key to the formulation of the Strategy.  Its proposed objectives are:

• taking stock of the different working groups' deliberations on what issues should be addressed and which strategic objectives should be pursued through an integrated approach and through stakeholder specific approaches;
• defining what should be the specific roles and responsibilities of governments, non-government organizations and individual Canadians in developing the proposed strategic objectives and approaches;
• encouraging dialogue between animal health partners playing a different role in Canada's system and caring for different groups of animals.

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Phase 3 - Reconciling Objectives and Formulating Strategic Actions

The documentation of the proposed strategic objectives related to the system and to the specific partners' issues will lead us to an important decision point as to which key national actions/outcomes should be sought by the Strategy.  This phase will also lead us to clarify who will do what specifically and how we are going to measure the success of these agreed-to approaches.

This will lead to the last multi-partner workshop before the publication of the Strategy. This workshop, to be held on April 15-16, 2008, will validate the National Animal Health Strategy document that will be sent for approval through the different FPT decision-making processes in public health (through Health Canada), fish health (through Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada), ecosystem health (through Environment Canada) and animal health (through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency).   

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Phase 4 - Formulating Precise Short, Medium and Long Term Action Plans

The publication of the Strategy, setting recommended objectives, outcomes and approaches to governments is planned for late 2008. It is a crucial but not a final step in the building of Canada's integrated animal health system.

Specific action plans will need to be developed after April 2008.  It is envisaged that identified teams of experts from the partners involved in the development of the Strategy, will continue to further articulate and implement  short term, medium term and longer term action plans.  A multi-partner workshop is proposed for September 15-16, 2008 to reconcile these plans in coherent, validated, coordinated, national action plans.  It is proposed that these be published in late 2008.