Health Canada

Federal Jurisdiction - Workplace Hazardous Products Program, within Consumer and Hazardous Products Safety Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada.

WHMIS is implemented through coordinated and interlocking federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) legislation, which ensures a consistent national system of hazard communication for all workers in Canada. At the federal level, Health Canada administers the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) which regulates the sale and importation of hazardous products in Canada. Health Canada collaborates with federal, provincial and territorial occupational health and safety (OHS) agencies to implement WHMIS including the compliance and enforcement of the HPA and HPR.

In addition, when a supplier or employer wants to be exempt from having to disclose certain confidential business information (CBI), such as the chemical identity of one or more trade-secret hazardous ingredients, they must file a claim for exemption with Health Canada.