Category: Health

October 20, 2026, | Toronto, Ontario | Health Canada

Through Canada’s first-ever Black Justice Strategy, the Government of Canada is investing in initiatives that address substance use and addictions, support mental health, and help build healthier futures for Black communities.

Today, as part of this strategy, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced more than $6 million through the Substance Use and Addictions Program and the Supporting Community Mental Health Crisis Response Initiative.

The funded projects will support initiatives focused on:

• Increasing access to culturally safe substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery supports for Black communities;
• Offering peer mentorship, provider training, and culturally responsive service delivery;
• Helping Black youth and families through early intervention, mental health supports, and wellness programming;
• Enhancing the ability of community organizations to provide non-police-led intervention for Black individuals experiencing a mental health crisis; and
• Improving awareness, navigation, and coordination of substance use services while addressing stigma and systemic barriers to care.

Statement

Today, Canada’s Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Health and Ministers of Mental Health, Addictions, and Recovery met in Winnipeg to discuss key health priorities facing Canadians.

Winnipeg, Manitoba | October 16, 2026

Today, Canada’s Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Health and Ministers of Mental Health, Addictions, and Recovery met in Winnipeg to discuss key health priorities facing Canadians^{Footnote 1}.

Ministers reflected on pressures and challenges across health care systems, including the linkages between health system sustainability and economic resiliency.

The federal government reiterated its commitment to working collaboratively with provinces and territories to renew Working Together bilateral agreements. These agreements are designed to provide flexibility for jurisdictions to address the unique health care needs of their communities.

Ministers reviewed the federal partnership and investments related to home and community care, and mental health and substance use, as well as the progress achieved to date within jurisdictions. They agreed to continue discussing the future of these investments and the shared health care priorities they support.

Ministers discussed the direction provided by First Ministers on July 23, 2026, to continue collaborating on the sustainability of public health care, improve the productivity of the health system, enhance workforce participation, and deliver better outcomes for Canadians. Ministers heard from a University of Toronto health economics expert on the return on health care investments and the broad benefits they generate for jurisdictions. Ministers will continue discussions regarding an approach for long-term federal funding sustainability, with accountability for Canadians on productivity, acknowledging provincial and territorial priorities. Ministers will meet to discuss progress on this work before the end of 2026. 

Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing collaborative efforts to strengthen Canada’s pharmaceutical system and mitigate the potential impacts of U.S. tariffs and pricing policies.

Provincial and territorial ministers welcomed confirmation from the federal minister of health regarding the ongoing funding of $500 million annually for the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases.

Ministers are united on the need to advance solutions to improve pathways for internationally educated health professionals to work in Canada, and have asked national medical certification bodies to further align their work with FPT health workforce priorities. 

Ministers are committed to public health care and are committed to strengthen public services. Ministers agreed to engage on the Canada Health Act Services Policy by Spring 2027.

Ministers recognize the importance of timely and effective sharing of public health information to help protect and promote the health of people across Canada. Ministers from participating jurisdictions affirmed their support for a new Canadian Public Health Information Sharing Agreement and look forward to signing it soon. The agreement, once finalized, will enable participating FPT governments to securely share public health information, giving each a more complete picture of health risks and trends across the country to support faster, better-informed decisions and coordinated action on public health threats.

Ministers welcomed Parliamentary Secretary Ginette Lavack from Indigenous Services Canada for a discussion on issues impacting the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples and communities. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advancing Indigenous health equity through partnership and collaboration.

Ministers considered broader public health priorities, including confronting ongoing pressures on immunization programs and strengthening Canada’s HIV response through prevention, equity and coordinated FPT action. Recognizing that vaccines save lives, improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs, Ministers received information on jurisdictional strategies to strengthen vaccine uptake, improve access and build trust through community engagement.

Ministers received a presentation and discussed the ongoing challenges in accessing health care services, in rural, remote and northern communities. They received information on the role of virtual care in expanding access to services, supporting continuity of care, and complementing broader efforts to strengthen the health workforce. Ministers recognized the importance of accessing these services in the North.

Mental Health and Substance Use

Ministers remain deeply concerned about the ongoing illegal and toxic drug crisis that is impacting individuals, families, and communities across Canada as well as the broader mental health, substance use, and addictions challenges affecting Canadians.

Ministers, including those responsible for Mental Health, Addictions, and Recovery, exchanged views on key priorities and examined innovative integrated care models for individuals with complex needs. They reaffirmed the importance of improving access to mental health, substance use, addictions, and recovery  services and providing patient-centred care across the continuum of services and supports.

Conclusion

Canadians expect timely access to high-quality health care, and governments share a responsibility to ensure health systems continue to meet those expectations. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to working together, respecting provincial and territorial jurisdiction to strengthen publicly funded health care, improve health outcomes, and ensure Canadians can access the care they need, when and where they need it.

October 15, 2026 | Ottawa, Ontario | Health Canada

Canadians expect timely access to safe and effective drugs and medical devices. Health Canada is providing a quarterly update on the steps the department is taking to make its regulatory processes more modern and efficient, while maintaining high standards for safety, efficacy, and quality.

From July 1 to September 30, 2026, Health Canada has taken a number of steps to improve access to the drugs and medical devices Canadians need. The department has authorized 16 new prescription drugs and 33 generic and biosimilar drugs. During this period, Health Canada also approved 540 new medical devices. 

A growing number of increasingly complex drug submissions is putting pressure on the drug review process. To address this, Health Canada is prioritizing the review of certain generic drug submissions to provide better access to medicines in Canada, prevent and minimize disruptions to Canada’s drug supply, and make the generic drug review system more sustainable in the long term.

To help Canadians access promising new treatments sooner, Health Canada is also moving forward with the first phase of its clinical trials modernization efforts. This includes :

• Supporting faster implementation of modernized clinical trial requirements ahead of new regulations, which will modernize Canada’s clinical trial framework and help attract more clinical research to Canada.
• Providing information on clinical trials approved by Health Canada through a new clinical trials portal, to help patients find information about clinical trials that may help them and help researchers, health care providers and other stakeholders access information about ongoing trials.
• Making it easier for researchers to conduct pediatric standard-of-care studies through a new pilot project. This could generate better evidence leading to improved treatment outcomes for children, who are often prescribed drugs intended for adults off label (i.e. outside of their indicated use).

Health Canada is also working to get more medicines approved for children and youth to Canadians faster. Under the proposed approach, review times would be reduced by up to 40%, from 300 days to 180 days. Health Canada is currently consulting on the proposed changes until October 23, 2026. The department has already begun implementing shortened review timelines and welcomes additional ideas and comments on how to continue to improve on these efforts.

Finally, Health Canada is launching a new pilot for Access Consortium work-sharing submissions that will provide more flexibility during the review process and prevent delays. This will result in stronger alignment between international regulators and help bring products to the Canadian market faster. The Access Consortium is a coalition of international regulatory authorities that work together to promote greater regulatory collaboration and alignment, including joint reviews of new drug submissions.

Together, these changes are creating a faster, more efficient regulatory system that is improving access to medicines while maintaining Canada’s high standards for safety, efficacy and quality.