Federal Government Activities

What is the Government of Canada's Role?

The Government of Canada's goal is to promote and preserve the health of all Canadians and for Canada to be among the countries with the healthiest people in the world. To achieve this goal, Health Canada promotes high-quality, scientific research as the basis for its work. Disease surveillance, prevention, control and research are also key to ensuring the health of Canadians. Furthermore, because health is an issue which affects all Canadians, the federal government supports sharing of best practices and communication amongst partners, stakeholders, and the population at large. The management and delivery of health care in Canada is the responsibility of provincial and territorial governments.

What is Health Canada Doing?

To address Autism Spectrum Disorders, Health Canada:

• Works with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to co-ordinate research and surveillance.
• Supports Canada's capacity to address autism through efforts to enhance awareness and knowledge around the condition.
• Supports Canada's health researchers in their efforts to better understand optimal treatments for spectrum disorders such as autism.
• Fosters collaboration between partners and stakeholders to share expertise.

Federal Activities to Improve Autism Knowledge and Awareness

Help on accessing alternative formats, such as Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Word and PowerPoint (PPT) files, can be obtained in the alternate format help section.

• On November 8-9, 2007, the federal government hosted a National Autism Research Symposium. See the Symposium Report (PDF Version - 441 K).
• Health Canada is providing $1M in support of a National Chair for Autism Research and Intervention at Simon Fraser University.
• Since 2001, Canadian Institutes for Health Research has invested $26.1M in autism-related research.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada is working with partners and stakeholders to examine the feasibility of autism surveillance.

News and Announcements

• Canadian Researchers launch French-language web site on autism
•  Thimerosal in Vaccines and Autism - Questions & Answers (Public Health Agency of Canada)
•  Health Research: Key to improving research for children with autism