Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional links
Application Form, Deadline, and Notification for the Pool
How to Apply
All application information, including an application form, is available online.
Please do not forward resumes or additional personal information not requested in the application form.
The only way to be recognised as a Pool applicant is to complete the application form. Expressions of interest or nominations do not qualify as applications and any personal information provided in this regard will be disposed of in accordance with the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act.
Deadline for Applications
Applications for the pilot phase must be received no later than February 15, 2012. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by the end of March 2012.
Applicants who do not make it into the Pool in its first year will be notified of additional spots in subsequent years if and when they become available. Applications received after February 15, 2012 will be kept on file for future consideration.
Notification and Selection
Applicants will be notified of acceptance by the end of March 2012.
As long as the information provided is complete, most applicants, except those in the exclusions, will be accepted into the Pool with the caveat that the Pool will need to be kept to a manageable size (approximately 100 participants) and that applicants will be selected with a view to ensuring coverage of HPFB business lines, interest and experience areas and, as possible, demographic variety.
Application Form
Complete the Application Form.
Section B - Demographic Information
It is intended that the diversity of participants in the Pool will reflect the demographics of Canada over time. The Pool will ideally include Canadians of different ethnic heritages, ages, genders, income levels, educational backgrounds and locations in Canada. The only way to ensure the Pool reflects this diversity is to collect demographic information about Pool participants.
Additionally, there are certain health conditions that affect particular groups more than others e.g. breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease. There may be particular consultations where Health Products and Food Branch will be seeking out patients, consumers of health products or caregivers of patients of particular ethnic heritages, ages or genders. Having this information from Pool applicants will allow the Pool Secretariat to match consultation participants with program needs.
This information is collected in accordance with the Multiculturalism Act and its Regulations and Guidelines to support programs that promote equal opportunity for everyone to share in the social, cultural, and economic life of Canada.
Question 10 Limitations
Question 10 in the Application Form asks participants to consider if they have geographic, physical disability or technological restrictions because there will be different types of consultations that require use of a computer, the internet or attending events face-to-face.
If there are certain types of consultations that an applicant would not be able or interested to participate in, this will be noted in the database and considered when making contact as consultation opportunities arise. For example, if someone indicates they cannot attend face-to-face meetings, this is noted on file, and the Secretariat will refrain from inviting that applicant to participate in such consultations.
Question 13 Health Conditions
Question 13 of the Application Form asks which health conditions, an applicant has a particular interest in.
This question is not asking participants to disclosure any health conditions directly. The question is asking which areas a participant could speak from personal experience on, regardless of how that experience was acquired. This could be as a patient or as a caregiver of someone else with this condition. In this way, Health Canada will not be collecting and maintaining data on personal health information and/or conditions.
Section D - Affiliations
This section of the application form is mandatory to ensure the integrity of the program.
Often people have gained an interest, expertise or experience in health-related issues through research grants, paid work for an interested party, advocacy or support work with a patient or consumer organization, etc.
A person's affiliations and interests do not prevent them from being a Pool participant. However, Pool participants must declare any funding or other benefits they receive from organizations regulated by Health Canada to enable a balanced and credible representation of intended participants, and, as required, support transparency of HPFB as a whole.
