Question Period Note: Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care’s Breast Cancer Screening Guideline

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KEY MESSAGES
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death for women in Canada.
• Our Government has invested in increasing awareness of breast cancer; brought together key partners and experts to discuss key issues related to breast cancer screening; and taken action to address research and data gaps.
• The work of the Canadian Task Force for Preventive Health Care that was updating the breast cancer screening guideline was paused in March 2025 as an External Expert Review completed its report on recommendations for a renewed Task Force.
• Work on the breast cancer screening guideline will remain paused while the Public Health Agency of Canada initiates the implementation of the External Expert Review report’s recommendations with a view of launching a renewed Task Force in April 2026.
IF PRESSED
Q1 : If pressed on the status of the temporary pause following the receipt of the external expert review report or the future of guidelines that were in progress, such as the update to the breast cancer screening guideline (
A1 :
• PHAC, in collaboration with the existing Task Force, have put in place a workplan to complete guidelines that are currently in progress. Two guidelines, one on tobacco cessation and one on depression screening for adults, already submitted for publication prior to the pause, have been completed and published under this workplan.
• The renewed Task Force will re-examine future activities following its launch in April 2026.
• The update to the breast cancer screening guideline will not be completed by the current Task Force.
Q2: If pressed on why the Government of Canada is not following the lead of the United States in lowering the age for breast cancer screening from 50 to 40
A2 :
• Prevention guidelines are developed specific to the Canadian context and population.
• The Task Force has indicated that the differences relative to the United States relate to differences in the health system and population demographics, among other factors.
• It is important to respect the arms-length nature of guideline development in Canada so that Canadians can trust that the guidelines are evidence-based and that views of the government have not influenced the guideline recommendation.
Q3: If pressed on PHAC’s external review of the Task Force
A3:
• As requested by my predecessor, PHAC launched an External Expert Review of the Task Force in October 2024.
• The report of the External Expert Review (EER) of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, publicly available since June 2025, outlines key recommendations and system-wide actions to strengthen preventive health guidance in Canada.
• PHAC has since established an Advisory Panel which will offer expert advice to help inform the implementation of the EER recommendations and of a renewed Task Force to be launched in April 2026.
• This work will be informed by a broad public engagement plan to be launched this fall.
Q4: If pressed on the Government of Canada’s progress on actions indicated by the former minister in his May 30 statement on breast cancer screening and prevention
A4:
• A number of federal departments and agencies have taken steps to coordinate efforts and important initial actions on breast cancer screening and prevention.
• Our government has brought together experts and provincial and territorial officials to explore and share promising practices for equitable breast cancer screening, and created a research roadmap to identify and address gaps.
• We are working with partners to accelerate the analysis of breast cancer data based on factors such as age and race/ethnicity to better understand trends and level of risk.
We have worked with organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society to raise awareness on breast cancer, screening, and prevention.

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KEY STATS
• In 2024, an estimated 30,500 women in Canada were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,500 died from the disease. One in eight (13%) women in Canada are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.