Ministry of Health (British Columbia)
Canadian provincial government department
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ministry of Health is a department of the Government of British Columbia which oversees the provincial health care system. It manages services including the Medical Services Plan, HealthLinkBC, PharmaCare, and the BC Vital Statistics Agency.[3][4]
- Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Health
- Cynthia Johansen, Deputy minister
| Ministry overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | British Columbia |
| Headquarters | |
| Annual budget | C$35.144 billion (2025–26)[1][2] |
Ministers responsible |
|
Ministry executives |
|
| Website | Official website |
The majority of health services are delivered through partnerships with health authorities, physicians and other health professionals. The ministry works with five regional health authorities (Fraser Health, Interior Health, Island Health, Northern Health and Vancouver Coastal Health) and one province-wide health authority, the Provincial Health Services Authority, which is responsible for specialized health services.[5] It also supports the role of the Provincial Health Officer, whose office is housed within the ministry.[6]
Ravi Kahlon is the Minister of Health since 2026.[7][8]
As of 2025, the Deputy Minister of Health is Cynthia Johansen. The Associate Deputy Ministers are Tiffany Ma and Diana Clarke.[9][10] An earlier acting appointment of Alexandra Faye (Ally) Butler as Associate Deputy Minister was rescinded in April 2025.[11]
History
On February 21, 1946, the government announced plans to establish a separate department for health; until then, health policy had been the purview of the provincial secretary.[12] The Department of Health and Welfare was formally established on October 1, 1946, with George Pearson as the inaugural minister.[13]
During the first term of the Gordon Campbell government, a separate Ministry of Health Planning was created (led by Sindi Hawkins) but that ministry was later merged back into the main ministry.[14] During the same period, there were also two ministers of state: one for seniors and another for mental health and addictions.[15]
Under John Horgan, a separate Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was established.[16] Following the 2024 provincial election, Premier David Eby’s administration ended the stand-alone ministry and folded it back into the Ministry of Health. The 2025/26 Estimates show the "Mental Health and Addictions (Disestablished)" vote with funds transferred to Health in November 2024.[17][18]
COVID-19 and public health
On April 30, 2020, the Ministry published guidance alongside the BC Centre for Disease Control on interpreting PCR test results for COVID-19.[19] On Sept. 12, 2024 the Provincial Health Officer rescinded the COVID-19 public-health emergency orders.[20] On March 28, 2025 the PHO declared the end of the 2024–25 respiratory illness season and lifted temporary measures in health-care settings.[21]
Professional regulation modernization
On October 19, 2022, Minister Adrian Dix introduced the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), which received Royal Assent on Nov. 24, 2022.[22] Specific sections came into force on Oct. 18, 2023 to establish the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office, headed by a Superintendent appointed in June 2024.[23][24] As part of ongoing amalgamations under the modernization initiative, several health regulatory colleges were amalgamated effective June 28, 2024.[25][26] The HPOA is scheduled to come into force on April 1, 2026, replacing the Health Professions Act.[27]
List of ministers
| Minister | Term start | Term end | Political party | Cabinet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of Health and Welfare | ||||
| George Sharratt Pearson | October 1, 1946 | December 29, 1947 | █ Liberal | Hart |
| December 29, 1947 | May 3, 1950 | Johnson | ||
| Alexander Douglas Turnbull | May 3, 1950 | August 1, 1952 | █ Liberal | |
| Eric Martin | August 1, 1952 | March 20, 1959 | █ Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett |
| Minister of Health Services and Hospital Insurance | ||||
| Eric Martin | March 20, 1959 | December 12, 1966 | █ Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett |
| Wesley Black | December 12, 1966 | May 24, 1968 | █ Social Credit | |
| Ralph Loffmark | May 24, 1968 | September 15, 1972 | █ Social Credit | |
| Dennis Cocke | September 15, 1972 | November 7, 1973 | █ New Democratic | Barrett |
| Minister of Health | ||||
| Dennis Cocke | November 7, 1973 | December 22, 1975 | █ New Democratic | Barrett |
| Robert McClelland | December 22, 1975 | November 24, 1979 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Rafe Mair | November 24, 1979 | January 6, 1981 | █ Social Credit | |
| Jim Nielsen | January 6, 1981 | February 11, 1986 | █ Social Credit | |
| Stephen Rogers | February 11, 1986 | April 3, 1986 | █ Social Credit | |
| Jim Nielsen | April 3, 1986 | August 6, 1986 | █ Social Credit | |
| August 6, 1986 | November 6, 1986 | Vander Zalm | ||
| Peter Dueck | November 6, 1986 | November 1, 1989 | █ Social Credit | |
| John Jansen | November 1, 1989 | April 2, 1991 | █ Social Credit | |
| April 2, 1991 | May 7, 1991 | Johnston | ||
| Bruce Strachan | May 7, 1991 | November 5, 1991 | █ Social Credit | |
| Elizabeth Cull | November 5, 1991 | September 15, 1993 | █ New Democratic | Harcourt |
| Paul Ramsey | September 15, 1993 | February 28, 1996 | █ New Democratic | |
| Andrew Petter | February 28, 1996 | June 17, 1996 | █ New Democratic | G. Clark |
| Joy MacPhail | June 17, 1996 | February 18, 1998 | █ New Democratic | |
| Penny Priddy | February 18, 1998 | August 25, 1999 | █ New Democratic | |
| August 25, 1999 | February 24, 2000 | Miller | ||
| Mike Farnworth | February 29, 2000 | November 1, 2000 | █ New Democratic | Dosanjh |
| Corky Evans | November 1, 2000 | June 5, 2001 | █ New Democratic | |
| Minister of Health Services | ||||
| Colin Hansen | June 5, 2001 | December 15, 2004 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Shirley Bond | December 15, 2004 | June 16, 2005 | █ Liberal | |
| Minister of Health | ||||
| George Abbott | June 16, 2005 | June 23, 2008 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Minister of Health Services | ||||
| George Abbott | June 23, 2008 | June 10, 2009 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Kevin Falcon | June 10, 2009 | November 30, 2010 | █ Liberal | |
| Colin Hansen | November 30, 2010 | March 14, 2011 | █ Liberal | |
| Minister of Health | ||||
| Mike de Jong | March 14, 2011 | September 5, 2012 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Margaret MacDiarmid | September 5, 2012 | June 10, 2013 | █ Liberal | |
| Terry Lake | June 10, 2013 | June 12, 2017 | █ Liberal | |
| Mary Polak | June 12, 2017 | July 18, 2017 | █ Liberal | |
| Adrian Dix | July 18, 2017 | November 18, 2022 | █ New Democratic | Horgan |
| November 18, 2022 | November 18, 2024 | Eby | ||
| Josie Osborne | November 18, 2024 | August 14, 2026 | █ New Democratic | |
| Ravi Kahlon | August 14, 2026 | █ New Democratic | ||
See also
- E-Comm, 9-1-1 call and dispatch centre for Southwestern BC
