The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has committed to defraying the application and maintenance fees for the Credentialed Evaluator (CE) professional designation, as well as the required Canadian Evaluation Society membership fee for all permanent evaluators in its ranks who obtain the CE designation.

This corporate decision marks a significant advancement in the utilization of the CE designation within the federal government since the PHAC/Health Canada evaluation team is among the largest within the Government of Canada.

Benoît Gauthier, President of the CES, wrote to Ms. Krista Outhwaite, President of the Agency, and to Dr. Gregory W. Taylor, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada: "I want to take this opportunity to celebrate the Agency's strong stand in favour of the professionalization of its evaluators. By valuing the profession of evaluation in this manner, the Agency demonstrates the importance it assigns to the evaluation process and to evidence-informed policy making. Since the same evaluation team manages evaluation studies for the Agency and Health Canada, both departments will get the benefit of this visionary decision."

This news comes on the heal of the release of an independent evaluation of the Professional Designations Program.