The 2026 State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card is our second national assessment of how well Canada is responding. Despite clear recommendations in 2023, governments have made little meaningful progress.
Across Canada, too many people are still not getting the care they need.
Incremental change is not delivering the progress Canadians need.
This Report Card makes clear where our health systems are falling short and what must change.
This Report Card makes clear where our health systems are falling short and what must change. In response, Arthritis Society Canada and 20 ecosystem champions launched Arthritis Action Now: The Plan to End Arthritis in Canada — a concrete national plan for change. It calls on governments at every level to take immediate steps.
“This Report Card confirms what people living with arthritis already know – Canada is not meeting the scale of this crisis,” said Trish Barbato, President and CEO, Arthritis Society Canada. “We will no longer accept incremental change. Governments at every level must act on these findings with the urgency this crisis demands. Arthritis Action Now provides the roadmap – now we need the political will and investment to make it happen. Canadians living with arthritis deserve better.”
The solutions are clear and the responsibility is shared. The time to act is now.
About Arthritis Society Canada
Arthritis Society Canada represents the more than six million people in Canada living with arthritis today, and the millions more who are impacted or at risk. Fueled by the trust and support of our donors and volunteers, Arthritis Society Canada is fighting arthritis with research, advocacy, innovation, information and support. We are Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research. We will not give up our efforts until everyone is free from the agony of arthritis. Arthritis Society Canada is accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, visit arthritis.ca.
