Program directory · Health Canada
Controlled Substances
- Department
- Health Canada
- Program code
- BVH13 (H)
- Core responsibility
- Health Protection and Promotion
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Controlled Substances Program authorizes activities with controlled substances and precursor chemicals, while managing the risks of diversion and associated harms that could affect public health and safety. The Program regulates manufacturing, medical, and scientific industries on the possession, production, provision and disposition of controlled substances and precursor chemicals. The Program reviews and updates the regulatory framework for controlled substances and precursor chemicals as required; administers regulations for licensing and compliance monitoring and enforcement activities; analyzes seized materials; provides scientific knowledge on illegal drugs and precursor chemicals; assists in investigating and dismantling clandestine laboratories; undertakes surveillance activities to address drug and substance use in Canada; and, works with national and international partners for the recommendation of appropriate drug analysis procedures. The Program leads the implementation of the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy, the Government of Canada’s comprehensive framework to address the dangerous synthetic illegal drug supply and overdose crisis and other substance use related harms, centered on promoting public health and protecting public safety. The Program also provides Grants and Contributions funding through the Substance Use and Addictions Program and the Emergency Treatment Fund. The Program administers the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and its Regulations, and Parts G and J of the Food and Drug Regulations.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled Substances | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $1.02B |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Spending $48.9M, against $194M in 2018-19 (−75%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $133M, against $50.8M in 2020-21 (+161%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022 | Budget 2022 measure “Addressing the Opioid Crisis”: $99M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2022, PDF page 180 |
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who engaged in problematic use of legal drugs in the past 12 months | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who used legal drugs to get high in the past 12 months; Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who used legal drugs to get high in the past 12 months (Females); Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who used legal drugs to get high in the past 12 months (Males) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $190M, against $133M in 2021-22 (+43%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators added: Percentage of Canadians who consumed at least two substances at the same time in the 12 months prior to reporting | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who engaged in problematic use of legal drugs in the past 12 months | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $246M, against $194M in 2024-25 (+27%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2027-28 | Planned spending $146M, against $198M in 2026-27 (−26%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2028-29 | Planned employees (FTEs) 356, against 501 in 2027-28 (−29%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2028-29 | Planned spending $96.6M, against $146M in 2027-28 (−34%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | — | 2019 | — A risk-based approach for assigning compliance ratings is in development. A pilot was initiated in 2018-19. Once the data from the pilot is analyzed, a new baseline will be established and an updated target for 2019-20 will be set by March 31, 2020. | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | — | — | 88% A target for this indicator will be established in 2023-24 using inspection data collected in 2021-22 and 2022-23. On-site inspections of high-risk Licensed Dealers continue to be a priority for the program but due to COVID-19 and the resulting public health measures and restrictions, the program transitioned to virtual/remote methods for its planned inspections, as well as focusing on high-risk… | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | TBD | 2024 | 88% A target of 80% has now been established using inspection data collected in 2021-22 and 2022-23. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 80% | 2025 | 88% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 95% | 2019 | 75% A lower compliance rate was anticipated due to the implementation of a risk-based approach to inspecting, where the highest risk facilities are targeted. Follow-up inspections will be conducted in FY2019-20 at all non-compliant pharmacies identified in FY2018-19. | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 80% | 2020 | 67% The target was not met in 2019-2020 due to Health Canada’s continued focus on the inspection of pharmacies with a history of non-compliance. This risk-based, targeted inspection approach led to a lower percentage of industry compliance than the planned result. Health Canada will continue to target pharmacies with a higher risk of product diversion to protect the health and safety of Canadians. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 80% | 2021 | 84% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 80% | 2022 | 83% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 80% | 2023 | 81% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 80% | 2024 | 73% As Health Canada continues to refine its risk-based approach, the aim is to target areas of highest risk of diversion for inspection. This will result in more inspections with non-compliant ratings. Thus, this lower rate of compliance is primarily due to the current model being used to conduct inspections where non-compliance is suspected. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 80% | 2025 | 69% Health Canada's risk-based approach for pharmacy inspections targets areas of highest risk of diversion and suspected non-compliance. This approach continues to be refined and will result in a lower rate of compliance among inspected pharmacies. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≤ 2% | 2024 | 1.6% The results from 2019 are the most recent and will be used until new data is available. Results for the 2023 Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey are expected by the end of 2024. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 2% | 2025 | — As of 2024-25, the data source for this indicator, the Canadian Substance Use Survey (previously the Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey), no longer collects data for this indicator. This indicator will be discontinued for 2025-26. | No result reported |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | — | — | — Actual results are not available for this indicator due to challenges with sample size. As a result, this indicator will be replaced by "Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who engaged in problematic use of legal drugs in the past 12 months”. Results for this new indicator will be reported in the upcoming 2022-23 reporting cycle. | No result reported |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | — | — | — Actual results are not available for this indicator due to challenges with sample size. As a result, this indicator will be replaced by "Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who engaged in problematic use of legal drugs in the past 12 months”. Results for this new indicator will be reported in the upcoming 2022-23 reporting cycle. | No result reported |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | — | — | — Actual results are not available for this indicator due to challenges with sample size. As a result, this indicator will be replaced by "Percentage of Canadians (aged 15+) who engaged in problematic use of legal drugs in the past 12 months”. Results for this new indicator will be reported in the upcoming 2022-23 reporting cycle. | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 10% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 80% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 80% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $44M | $194M |
| 2019-20 | $42.2M | $48.9M |
| 2020-21 | $61.6M | $50.8M |
| 2021-22 | $141M | $133M |
| 2022-23 | $209M | $190M |
| 2023-24 | $183M | $209M |
| 2024-25 | $173M | $194M |
| 2025-26 | $246M | — |
| 2026-27 | $198M | — |
| 2027-28 | $146M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $96.6M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 275 | 317 |
| 2019-20 | 279 | 363 |
| 2020-21 | 319 | 372 |
| 2021-22 | 337 | 436 |
| 2022-23 | 357 | 474 |
| 2023-24 | 340 | 498 |
| 2024-25 | 469 | 507 |
| 2025-26 | 505 | — |
| 2026-27 | 504 | — |
| 2027-28 | 501* | — |
| 2028-29 | 356* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $44,022,764 | $35,249,145 | $35,103,432 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $42,213,324 | $38,331,768 | $38,331,766 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $61,599,075 | $58,055,999 | $56,426,139 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $140,857,662 | $90,601,345 | $92,742,074 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $208,627,817 | $92,539,797 | $75,860,002 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $183,185,155 | $118,096,212 | $78,027,729 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $173,470,252 | $153,807,660 | $131,850,326 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $245,564,103 | $195,384,838 | $149,296,978 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $197,592,718 | $145,839,125 | $96,649,240 | ||||||||
| Actual | $193,935,582 | $48,906,438 | $50,780,433 | $132,532,274 | $189,898,146 | $208,857,007 | $193,924,118 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
