Statement from the Minister of Health and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in Response to the Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Antimicrobial Resistance

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 19, 2023 /CNW/ - The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, issued the following statement today after the tabling of the report by the Auditor General of Canada on antimicrobial resistance:

"We would like to thank the Auditor General for this performance audit on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We are pleased that the Auditor General found that progress has been made since the last audit in 2015, including in data collection and the preservation of the effectiveness of medically important antimicrobials used in food animals. We acknowledge that the Auditor General noted that the Government of Canada should do more to address growing resistance to antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, to help safeguard the health of Canadians. We recognize the urgent need to address AMR and have remained committed to working with partners to take increased and expedited action.

The Government of Canada accepts the recommendations provided in the Auditor General's report. They align with Canada's collective response and leadership on AMR as outlined in the recently published Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR, which the Auditor General noted was introduced by the government after the official audit period.

Developed together with the provinces and territories, the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR was released in June 2023, and provides a five-year blueprint for strengthening Canada's collective AMR response using a One Health approach. Its 10 priority actions will guide multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional efforts across five pillars, including: research and innovation; surveillance; stewardship; infection prevention and control; and leadership. We are working collaboratively with our federal, provincial, territorial and other partners on the implementation of the Action Plan, and will publicly report on our progress by September 2024. We are proud of the Pan-Canadian Action Plan and the continued collaboration in protecting the health of humans, animals and the environment against AMR. 

The Auditor General noted that federal funding for dedicated AMR activities other than research was approved for the first time in 2021. Since then, we have made great strides with regard to investments. Through Budget 2021, the Government committed over $28 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, to support efforts to prevent the inappropriate use of antimicrobials and to expand efforts in key areas of surveillance and monitoring. This includes evaluating the feasibility of integrating wastewater into our AMR surveillance, building on Canada's success with its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance experience. Through Budget 2023, the Government committed further funding to encourage market entry and availability of high-value antimicrobials in Canada.

In parallel to securing access to antimicrobials such as antibiotics, we are working closely with our partners to continue taking the necessary steps to preserve the effectiveness of life-saving antimicrobials. This includes leveraging surveillance data and trends to better target public awareness initiatives, and to implement successful stewardship policies and practices.

Again, we want to thank the Auditor General for this report and recommendations. We know that AMR is a complex issue that goes beyond human and healthcare costs — it also carries high costs to the economy and Canadians' livelihoods. We will continue to build on our collaborative work with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous Peoples, industry stakeholders, and partners across One Health sectors. We remain committed to furthering the progress we have made to date to strengthen our response to AMR and protect the health and safety of Canadians."

The Honourable Mark Holland, P.C., M.P.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, P.C., M.P.

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

Contacts: Christopher Aoun, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, 613-291-4176; Francis Chechile, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada,613-957-2983, [email protected]; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]