Our Process

Health Canada employees follow a general six-step process when they run a public involvement activity. These steps are to ensure that the most suitable participants are engaged, that the corresponding activity best suits the intended goals and, in the end, that the goals of the activity have been met.

For definitions to some of the words and terms you will find below, visit our glossary.

Our 6 Steps

1. Assess Factors
2. Select Participants
3. Select Activity
4. Run Activity
5. Report on the Activity
6. Evaluate Activity

1. Assess Factors

Canadians like to have and expect to have a channel to express their views to the federal government, and depending on the project, Health Canada may have a real need to gather input from Canadians.

Many factors must be assessed before Health Canada can proceed with a public involvement activity. These factors can include everything from timing and budget to asking the following questions about an issue:

• Does the public seem interested and willing to be consulted on this issue?
• Who are the key players or individuals affected?
• How will the public input inform decision-making?
• Do we have the resources and capacity to involve the public in decision-making?

If there are clear answers for these and other questions, we can proceed with planning a public involvement activity.

2. Select Participants

Successful public involvement requires careful planning, execution and evaluation. In selecting participants for a public involvement activity, Health Canada asks:

• Who will be affected by the issue?
• Who may be potentially affected in the future?
• Who can contribute to a solution that will meet the needs of the widest range of stakeholder and other public audiences?
• Should other federal agencies or other jurisdictions be involved?

3. Select Activity

Once the general types of participants have been identified for a public involvement activity, we can select the degree of involvement that will best involve the public and meet the objectives of the activity.

Health Canada defines five levels of involvement with the public and the techniques associated with each level. These levels are not static; rather they act in a continuum. Once the general level of involvement has been determined, a technique is chosen that, again, will best involve the stakeholders and meet the objectives.

Level 1: Inform or Educate

In activities at this level, we provide members of the public with balanced and objective information to help them understand the issues, the options, the process and the solutions. Examples include posting public advisories or other information documents on Web sites, conducting public awareness campaigns, etc.

Level 2: Gather Information

We collect public concerns and information about the issue at hand. Examples include surveys, focus groups, mailing or Web posting discussion documents for feedback, etc.

Level 3: Discuss

We allow the public to discuss the issue at hand. At this stage, the public has an opportunity to influence decisions made about the issu .The exchange of information is usually between one individual or group and the decision maker . Examples include bilateral meetings, public or town hall meetings, etc.

Level 4: Engage

We offer a more thorough and in-depth deliberation about the issues. Parties can hear other perspectives and influence each other. The focus is usually on the underlying values and principles, and the goal is to seek common ground among all participants. Examples include deliberative dialogue, workshops, advisory committees, etc.

Level 5: Partner

This involves partners sharing responsibility for implementing aspects of policy or program decisions. It usually involves joint decision-making. Examples include deliberative polling, citizen juries or panels, etc.

In this continuum, consultation refers to a level 2 to level 4 range of engagement.

Considerations

Health Canada employees use this continuum to help align public involvement methods with the objectives and level of influence appropriate to a situation. For example, in a crisis situation, the government is expected to make decisions and inform the public (level 1) about these decisions and their rationale. In another situation, the objective might be to achieve a shared understanding of an issue among stakeholders, making a dialogue (level 4) appropriate. No one level is "best"; usually a variety of involvement methods, started early in the decision-making process, produce the "best" outcome.

4. Run Activity

Visit our Consultations section to identify activities you can be involved in. If you are a participant, Health Canada staff will ensure you receive all the information you need on how to prepare and what to expect.

5. Report on the Activity

Many of our past public involvement activities have reports that summarize the input received. These reports, where available, are listed in our Consultation Reports section.

6. Evaluate Activity

Health Canada evaluates public involvement activities based on how well the activity matched the stated goals. If you are a participant, you will be invited to provide feedback on the lessons learned and successes of the activity.