Leading chronic pain organizations and advocates across Canada have united to form a new action network to improve the systems of care and support for the eight million people living with pain in Canada.

Pain Canada is a new multi-stakeholder, national initiative made up of the leading pain organizations across Canada.  The initiative is supported by Pain BC, a registered charity located in Vancouver, BC.

The new national action network will work to advocate for country-wide standards, encourage relevant research, promote equity, and amplify diverse voices to policymakers. With determination and hope, Pain Canada will champion the rights of people living with chronic pain to live the best possible life, free from stigma and discrimination.

Pain Canada is the national platform upon which people and organizations across Canada will coalesce to advance the recommendations of An Action Plan for Pain in Canada, the final report by the Canadian Pain Task Force that was released by Health Canada in May of 2021. Among the Action Plan's many recommendations are: 

1. National leadership to make pain a public health priority.

2. Equitable access to timely, evidence-based, and person-centred pain care and supports for all Canadians, no matter where they live.

3. Improved education for health professionals, the public, and people with pain in order to improve pain management and reduce stigma.

4. Further investments in research on pain and pain treatments and better support for translating new knowledge into real world impact.

5. Improved data collection to effectively monitor pain and its impacts.

6. Equitable access to care and support for communities disproportionately impacted by pain, including Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, LGBTQ2S+ communities, people who use drugs, people with mental illness, people with disabilities, workers, children and youth, women, people who are incarcerated, and veterans.

Pain Canada’s partners include:

·  L’Association québécoise de la douleur chronique (AQDC)

·  Atlantic Mentorship Network for Pain and Addictions

·  Canadian Pain Society

·  Centre of Excellence for Chronic Pain in Veterans

·  Chronic Pain Network

·  Global Alliance of PartnChronic Pain Networkers for Pain Advocacy

·  Ontario Chronic Pain Network

·  People in Pain Network

·  Québec Pain Research Network

·  SaskPain

·  Solutions for Kids in Pain Knowledge Mobilization Centre of Excellence

“It is a critical time for action to address pain in Canada,” says Maria Hudspith, Executive Director, Pain BC, and former Co-Chair of the Canadian Pain Task Force. “For too long, people with pain have faced stigma and significant gaps in access to care. Health Canada’s Action Plan for Pain in Canada lays out the steps needed to achieve lasting change. I look forward to working with our partners in Pain Canada, and many others, to mobilize the plan into action so we can create a better future for people with pain.”