One in five Canadians lives with chronic pain, a disease associated with the lowest quality of life among all chronic health conditions. Pain impacts people of all ages, genders and backgrounds but, as with many health conditions, it does not affect us equally. Instead, it disproportionately impacts children, seniors, people living in poverty, people living with mental health and substance use disorders, those working in the trades and transportation industries, veterans, Indigenous peoples, certain ethnic and racialized communities, LGBTQ2S people, those who have experienced past trauma or violence, persons with disabilities, and women.

Pain also has a tremendous economic impact. In 2019 alone, the direct (health care) and indirect (lost production) costs of chronic pain in Canada totalled $38.2 to $40.3 billion.

All Canadians, no matter who they are or where they live, should have equitable access to timely and evidence-based care and support. That’s why we’re asking for your help to make pain a priority.

A call for action to #PrioritizePain in Canada

The Canadian Pain Task Force was established in 2019 to provide advice and information to Health Canada to inform an improved approach to prevent and manage chronic pain. Its final report, An Action Plan for Pain in Canada, lays out numerous recommendations for targeted actions necessary to improve outcomes for the nearly eight million Canadians living with chronic pain and to reduce pain’s impact on families, communities, and society.

The #PrioritizePain campaign brings together leaders in pain advocacy, research, and health care, to join people with pain and their families in supporting the recommendations in An Action Plan for Pain in Canada and to advocate for their implementation.

Read and share the report