The chief public health officer of Canada (CPHO; ) is the lead health professional and primary spokesperson on public health related matters for the Government of Canada. The chief public health officer provides advice to the minister of health and the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), works in collaboration with the agency president in the agency's leadership and management, and works with other departments and levels of government on public health matters. PHAC, along with the CPHO post was established in 2004 amidst the SARS crisis.
The chief public health officer of Canada is Joss Reimer, who was appointed in April 2026, following the retirement of Theresa Tam.
Overview
The CPHO position was created by Carolyn Bennett in her position as Minister of State for Public Health (Canada) in 2004, along with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Per the Public Health Agency of Canada Act (2006), the CPHO holds office "during pleasure for a term not exceeding five years". The CPHO can be reappointed for additional terms.
The CPHO is selected through an open and transparent national competitive process, and is appointed by the Governor-in-Council. The process is merit-based: as per the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, the CPHO must be a qualified public health professional.
Areas of focus
2017–present
Former CPHO Theresa Tam released a vision statement in early 2018. She wishes to pay particular attention to the reduction of health discrepancies in the country, which includes collaborating with and reducing the socioeconomic gap of Indigenous Peoples. Her six areas of focus are currently:
- The risks of antimicrobial resistance and the correct use of antibiotics;
- Building healthy environments that reduce health discrepancies;
- The championing of youth health;
- The reduction of blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections;
- The reduction of Tuberculosis in at-risk populations; and
- Promoting education on substances (especially alcohol, opioids and marijuana), particularly their effects on youth
As CPHO, Tam wrote Fifteen years post-SARS: Key milestones in Canada's public health emergency response, in which she remarked somewhat presciently as it turns out that:
List of chief public health officers
Howard Njoo is the interim and present CPHO.
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Chief Public Health Officers of Canada
|17 May 2004
|23 October 2004
|Carolyn Bennett
|-
|1
|David Butler-Jones
|October 23, 2004
|June 2013
|Carolyn Bennett
|-
|2
|Gregory W. Taylor
|September 24, 2014
|December 15, 2016
|Rona Ambrose
|-
|3
|Theresa Tam
|June 26, 2017
|June 20, 2025
|Jane Philpott
|-
|–
|Howard Njoo (interim)
|June 20, 2025
|September, 2025
|Marjorie Michel
|-
|–
|Natasha Crowcroft (interim)
|September, 2025
|April 1, 2026
|Marjorie Michel
|-
|4
|Joss Reimer
|April 1, 2026
|
|Marjorie Michel
|}
List of current provincial chief public health officers
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of current provincial/territorial/municipal Chief Public Health Officers of Canada
|-
|British Columbia
|Bonnie Henry
|-
|Manitoba
|Brent Roussin
|-
|New Brunswick
|Yves Léger
|-
|Newfoundland and Labrador
|Janice Fitzgerald
|-
|Nova Scotia
|Robert Strang
|-
|Ontario
|Kieran Moore
|-
|Prince Edward Island
|Heather Morrison
|-
|Quebec
|Luc Boileau
|-
|Saskatchewan
|Saqib Shahab
|-
|Northwest Territories
|Kami Kandola
|-
|Nunavut
| Ekua Agyemang (interim)
|-
|Yukon
|Sudit Ranade
|}
See also
- Medical officer of health
- Chief Medical Officer (United Kingdom)
- Chief Medical Officer, Republic of Ireland
- Surgeon General of the United States
- Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario