[2] The work of the Health Council of Canada was funded by Health Canada, overseen by 13 independent councillors and one ex-officio councillor appointed by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments[3] (excluding the Government of Quebec), and supported by a professional secretariat based in Toronto.

Launched in November 2012, the portal featured practices, policies, programs and services that could be scaled up or adopted elsewhere in Canada,[5] ideally to improve health outcomes in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Notable features of the portal included a searchable database with more than 400 innovative practices covering a range of health care themes, a user-friendly search function, and customizable outputs[6] for health policy researchers.

It continually engaged key stakeholders on important health policy issues in its work, online and through its social media channels.

In April 2013, the federal government announced that its funding for the Health Council of Canada would end after March 2014.