Our History

working to advance health promotion in Canada

In 2005, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) developed and released the Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada for Public Health practitioners in Canada. Since then several disciplines have been working to create specific competencies for their practice – including health promoters.

Starting in 2007, Health Promotion Ontario – a professional association representing health promoters within Ontario – in collaboration with PHAC undertook a situational assessment resulting in several foundational documents and developed a draft set of competencies.

Subsequently in 2008, with the continued support of PHAC,  a small group of health promoters from across Canada formed a Committee (Pan-Canadian Committee on Health Promoter Competencies) and to provide strategic guidance and established a Network (Pan-Canadian Network for Health Promoter Competencies) to advance this work nationally. In 2008, work was undertaken to validate in-part the proposed competencies in Manitoba and begin expanding the network of Canadian health promoters.

In 2011, the Committee submitted an application, on behalf of the Pan-Canadian Network for Health Promoter Competencies, to the PHAC’s Public Health Workforce Development Products and Tools Contribution Program. The program supports four key objectives:

  • To increase the number and skills of public health professionals
  • To enhance the relationships between university programs in public health and public health organizations
  • To develop public health training products and tools
  • To develop a national network for those working in Health Promotion

In 2013, the Pan-Canadian Committee for Health Promoter Competencies received funding for a 3-year project through a contribution agreement to continue the consultation process for validating the Pan-Canadian Health Promoter Competencies and to continue building a robust network for health promoters that spans across Canada.

In 2016, the Committee formed into the National Executive for Health Promotion Canada (HPC). HPC was launched in celebration of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion‘s 30th Anniversary at the 6th Global Forum on Health Promotion. HPC supports a collaborative of Chapters across Canada. Health Promotion Ontario became Ontario’s Chapter, with additional Chapters under development in other areas across Canada.