Program directory · Public Health Agency of Canada
Border and Travel Health
- Department
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Program code
- BVR03 (PHAC)
- Core responsibility
- Health Security
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
This Program regulates travellers and conveyance operators to protect against public health risks associated with travel, such as communicable diseases. The spread of communicable disease in Canada could result in substantial social and economic disruption and international repercussions. The Program helps to reduce the risk of importing infectious diseases into Canada by providing relevant, timely, evidence-based travel health information to Canadian travellers and stakeholders, and by supporting health care professionals through the Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT) with guidelines and tools to better advise their travelling patients. The Program also works with the conveyance industry to protect against risks associated with water, food and sanitation; and collaborates with border partners to limit the spread of public health risks. This Program helps Canada meet its obligations under the International Health Regulations (IHR).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Border and Travel Health | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $611M |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Employees (FTEs) 201, against 56 in 2019-20 (+259%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Spending $106M, against $8.4M in 2019-20 (+1155%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Employees (FTEs) 698, against 201 in 2020-21 (+247%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $278M, against $106M in 2020-21 (+162%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Employees (FTEs) 555, against 698 in 2021-22 (−20%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $149M, against $278M in 2021-22 (−47%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Employees (FTEs) 205, against 555 in 2022-23 (−63%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $37.8M, against $149M in 2022-23 (−75%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024 | Budget 2024 measure “Travelling Public Program”: $20M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2024, PDF page 149 |
| 2024-25 | Spending $26.5M, against $37.8M in 2023-24 (−30%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned employees (FTEs) 121, against 170 in 2024-25 (−29%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $18M, against $26.5M in 2024-25 (−32%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: % of visitors to travel.gc.ca who access travel health advice (visits to travel health notices, travel health and safety, travel advice and advisories pages and COVID-19 pages in relation to total visits) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: Level of Canada’s capacity for effective public health response at designated points of entry into Canada | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2027-28 | Planned employees (FTEs) 79, against 132 in 2026-27 (−40%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2027-28 | Planned spending $10.4M, against $18.4M in 2026-27 (−44%). | 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 | ≥ 95% | 2019 | 94% While results in 2018–19 were slightly lower than targeted, some variability in results is expected year-to-year given factors such as seasonal conveyances, facilities closing prior to response, or lower levels of compliance for non-regulatory aspects of the inspections. PHAC continues proactive outreach with our stakeholders to increase regulatory compliance and promote best practices. | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 95% | 2020 | 96% | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 95% | 2021 | 100% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 95% | 2022 | 97% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 95% | 2023 | 97% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 95% | 2024 | 97% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 4 | 2019 | 5 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 4 | 2020 | 5 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 4 | 2024 | 5 | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 95% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 50% | 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 | $7.6M | $5.9M |
| 2019-20 | $7.7M | $8.4M |
| 2020-21 | $7.8M | $106M |
| 2021-22 | $191M | $278M |
| 2022-23 | $75.3M | $149M |
| 2023-24 | $7.8M | $37.8M |
| 2024-25 | $20.7M | $26.5M |
| 2025-26 | $18M | — |
| 2026-27 | $18.4M | — |
| 2027-28 | $10.4M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $10.4M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 58 | 49 |
| 2019-20 | 58 | 56 |
| 2020-21 | 56 | 201 |
| 2021-22 | 401 | 698 |
| 2022-23 | 374 | 555 |
| 2023-24 | 56 | 205 |
| 2024-25 | 105 | 170 |
| 2025-26 | 121 | — |
| 2026-27 | 132 | — |
| 2027-28 | 79* | — |
| 2028-29 | 77* | — |
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 | $7,552,640 | $7,552,640 | $7,552,640 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $7,700,122 | $7,688,942 | $4,876,333 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $7,839,119 | $5,003,070 | $5,084,230 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $190,693,510 | $5,187,324 | $5,116,287 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $75,255,249 | $7,736,173 | $5,125,003 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $7,833,475 | $5,218,363 | $5,218,363 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $20,672,971 | $16,688,792 | $8,948,758 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $18,037,775 | $15,696,539 | $10,762,420 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $18,429,561 | $10,402,506 | $10,402,547 | ||||||||
| Actual | $5,941,731 | $8,449,342 | $106,040,385 | $277,930,316 | $148,680,171 | $37,800,704 | $26,501,815 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
