Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, made the following statement:
I am announcing a temporary pause of the work of the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care.
I would like to thank the members of the Task Force for their dedication to this important work. The Task Force has an important mandate and its work includes updates to guidelines in several areas, including breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, interventions for tobacco cessation and screening for depression in children and adults. The External Expert Review of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, launched in October 2024, is studying the Task Force's governance, mandate and processes. This review is advancing quickly and is expected to conclude at the end of March.
I recently met with the Chair of the External Expert Review panel and I was informed that the panel has concluded their evidence gathering and are now finalizing a robust set of recommendations to modernize and improve the Task Force.
I also continue to hear important feedback directly from Canadians and key leaders in the area who raise their concerns on the existing guidance and process of the Task Force.
Considering these concerns, I have asked the Public Health Agency of Canada to pause the Task Force's work until the External Expert Review panel finalizes its work and its recommendations can be fully assessed.
The panel will make these recommendations to the Public Health Agency of Canada to modernize the work of the Task Force and ensure it provides evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to primary care providers.
This will ensure preventive health care guidelines meet the needs of Canada's health care system and support the well-being of Canadians.
The Honourable Mark Holland, P.C., M.P.
