‘A landmark decision': advocates celebrate reform of health screening task force
Advocates and doctors are applauding the recently released external expert panel report on the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, which calls for modernization and reform of the task force.
Some of the recommendations to modernize the task force include ensuring preventive health care remains up to date with evolving scientific data and applying it to guidelines in a timely manner, the inclusion of equity-centred perspectives, patient involvement, and collaboration with pre-existing guidelines to help eliminate disparities across the country.
'This is great news,' said Dr. Anna Wilkinson, a family physician and general practitioner-oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital, in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca.
'They are saying that we need to modernize the task force, and I think that's because we're recognizing that we are kind of behind the times on our cancer screening guidelines and many of our other preventive health care guidelines.'
Task force halted amid criticism
The task force, which is responsible for developing preventive health guidelines like cancer screening across Canada, is an independent body that develops clinical guidelines for family doctors about screening and prevention measures for cancer and other diseases.
The task force's work was halted last year following criticism of its proposed incoming breast cancer screening guidelines, which did not recommend mammography screening begin at age 40.
Instead, it upheld its 2018 guidelines recommending screening begin at age 50, despite growing evidence and calls from numerous medical experts and organizations urging earlier screening in response to rising breast cancer rates among younger women.
This prompted then-Health Minister Mark Holland to request that the Public Health Agency launch an external expert review panel, which began in October 2024, to recommend changes and improvements to the task force's structure, governance, and methodology for developing the guidelines.
Dr. Wilkinson, one of the medical experts who advised the external review panel, says she is pleased the report acknowledges the need to modernize the task force.
'We cannot afford economically as a health system to not be,' she said.
'We know that it's so much cheaper to deal with cancers when they're smaller, we know the outcomes are better, the cost to our health-care system is better.'
'I think one of the ways forward for a health-care system is to do preventive care more effectively. (…) This is a high-level view of how we might do that, so I look forward to seeing how it gets implemented.'
With implementation of the recommendations currently underway, Health Minister Marjorie Michel has requested that the Public Health Agency of Canada have the task force operational by April 2026.
'Landmark change'
Kimberly Carson, CEO of Breast Cancer Canada, was one of many advocates calling for the incoming breast cancer guidelines to recommend screening begin at age 40 rather than 50.
Carson, who met with Holland and the external expert review panel, is content with the report's findings.
'It's going to be fantastic for Canadians,' Carson told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
'We know that if we catch breast cancer early, it's better for the patient, it's better for the health-care system, it costs less, there's less financial toxicity for the patients and a better cure rate. (…) It changes the paradigm for Canadian patients.'
The task force began meeting on the upcoming breast cancer guidelines in May 2023.
For two years, Breast Cancer Canada advocated for the inclusion of subject matter experts in guideline development, the timely integration of the latest data, and the incorporation of patient perspectives.
With the report acknowledging all these points, Carson says she is satisfied that the sustained mobilization efforts have yielded results.
'It's such a landmark change in a landmark decision,' Carson said.
The Canadian Cancer Society, which also stated in a media release its approval of the report, also had its recommendations reflected in the findings.
Some of these recommendations echo those of Breast Cancer Canada, including the inclusion of cancer experts, patient perspectives, and staying current with evolving perspectives, experiences and scientific evidence.
'Once they reform the task force and it becomes functional in April, we would hope that they would immediately take a look at the screening guidelines for breast cancer,' Carson added.
In addition to the 2018 breast cancer guidelines, the current cancer screening guidelines for other cancers — like colon cancer (2016), prostate cancer (2014), and cervical cancer (2013) — are also due for updates, Dr. Wilkinson notes.
She says this report is a 'critical step' towards modernizing all of Canada's screening guidelines.
'In today's strained health-care environment, optimizing preventive care is essential to making the most of our limited resources,' she said in an email to CTVNews.ca. 'The integration of diverse and evolving evidence, equitable care and ongoing evaluation pave the way for agile, 'living' guidelines that keep pace with scientific advancements.
'This approach will help ensure Canada no longer relies on cancer screening recommendations that are over a decade old.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


National Post
22 minutes ago
- National Post
CFL national combine heading to Edmonton in 2026
TORONTO — The CFL will hold its 2026 national combine in Edmonton. Article content The event, where general managers, coaches and scouts evaluate incoming talent, will be held March 27-29, the CFL announced Wednesday. The combine will begin with individual testing in such drills as the 40-yard dash, 225-pound bench press, three-cone shuttle, short shuttle, broad and vertical jumps. Article content Article content Participants will then don pads the final two days for individual and team-based practices and drills. Article content The league will also hold its annual medical meetings Jan. 23-24 in Edmonton. Athletic therapists and physicians from all nine clubs, as well as league representatives, will gather to review policies. Article content Athletic therapists will also undergo specialized training to ensure they're equipped to support players and staff for the 2026 season. Article content


National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
ICE goes public with a new report on Canadian man who died in custody
Article content A Canadian who died in ICE custody is documented to have had health concerns, according to a report made public by the U.S. government agency today. While in custody, the 49-year-old was prescribed medication for seizures and hypertension, and recommended to undergo mental health evaluation after he was reported to be feeling 'sad and depressed, and refused to go to the medical clinic for an evaluation.' Article content Article content Why was the Canadian man arrested by ICE? Article content Johnny Noviello entered the U.S. on a legal visa in 1988 and became a permanent resident in 1991. In 2023, he was convicted on the charges of drug trafficking, racketeering and the unlawful use of two-way communication device used to facilitate commission of crime. He was sentenced to prison for 12 months. Article content His arrest by ICE came in 2025, wherein he was issued a notice to appear in court and faced a removability charge. Article content What does the ICE report say about the health of the Canadian who died in custody? Article content The 49-year-old was pronounced dead late in June after being found unresponsive in a detention centre in Miami. Respecting the family's privacy, Global Affairs minister Anita Anand had said late in June that 'further details will not be provided at this time.' Article content Today, the Government of Canada was notified of the death of a Canadian citizen while in custody in the United States. Canadian consular officials are urgently seeking more information from US officials. I offer my sincere condolences to the family. In order to respect the… — Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) June 26, 2025 Article content Article content The report released today highlighted health concerns that the officials flagged before he died. Here's what we know about the timeline since his arrest: Article content Article content May 15: Noviello was arrested and detained. Article content May 16: The 49-year-old underwent a routine health inspection. A registered nurse completed the medical intake screening and noted the diagnosis of 'hypertension and seizure disorder, slightly elevated blood pressure, high body mass index, and his reported medication list and sent a provider referral' for him. He was prescribed medication. Article content May 30: As per the documentation, the Canadian man is said to have refused a health history and a physical exam. Article content June 8: He was reported to be feeling sad and depressed and is said to have refused a health evaluation at a medical clinic. Article content June 9: Noviello reportedly maintained poor personal hygiene and stated he had not eaten in 'a while.' Documentation revealed his vitals to be normal, and that there was discussion with him around the importance of self-hygiene and proper diet.


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
High bacteria levels close local beaches
Lifeguards on duty at Main Beach in Port Stanley, Ont., seen on July 7, 2019. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) A few local beaches have been declared not safe for swimming by area health units. In Huron County, Ashfield, Port Albert, and Goderich Main Beach are under a no-swim advisory. At Little Beach in Port Stanley, a swimming advisory is in place after high levels of bacteria were detected in the most recent water sample results.