The executive director and co-founder of our partner, Dense Breasts Canada, has penned an editorial on changes for the Canadian Task Force for Preventive Health Care.
Jennie Dale writes that despite the raised expectations when the task force work was halted by former Health Minster Mark Holland and initiated a review, there is not a lot of substantive changes in the new iteration.
Dale is urging the Ministry of Health to mandate inclusion of subject-matter experts on evidence synthesis teams from the outset of each guideline project, have a transparent roster of experts that match their areas of expertise, and overhaul the conflict-of-interest framework.
The Canadian Cancer Survivor Network’s Executive Director Lindsay Timm said on the piece: “It is National Cancer Prevention Month. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, which was paused in the Spring of 2025, is due to resume this April. There is increasing concern from many that the promised reform is not adequate. The biggest worry is that the inclusion of subject-matter experts is not engrained at all the appropriate levels of decision-making.
“These experts are needed to inform best practices for the diseases under review. Just like cancer, the earlier the issues are identified the better, and these experts are crucial to identifying needs, gaps, and providing perspective. Their involvement needs to be meaningful. Not superficial or tokenistic.”
To read the op-ed, click HERE.