The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is mandated to fund all health-related research, including social issues related to health. This is rather recent, since the CIHR was created only about 10 or 12 years ago. The change in the mandate of what was previously the Medical Research Council of Canada happened gradually. In recent years, SSHRC has decided to allow the CIHR to subsidize research that falls within its mandate. Research is always subsidized, but by another organization, the CIHR.
On April 9th, 2014. See this statement in context.