Building a stronger Canada starts with better pain care

Five years ago, the release of An Action Plan for Pain in Canada marked a turning point in how our country understood one of its most significant and costly health challenges. Developed through the work of the Canadian Pain Task Force, the Action Plan established a national roadmap to improve care, strengthen education, advance research, and reduce inequities for the nearly eight million Canadians living with chronic pain.

As we mark this anniversary, there is much to celebrate and much more to do; progress has begun, yet the case for accelerated action has never been stronger.

Chronic pain remains the leading cause of disability in Canada. The economic consequences are profound, with chronic pain estimated to cost Canada more than $43 billion annually through health-care expenditures, lost productivity, disability, and reduced labour force participation.

At a time when governments are focused on productivity, economic resilience, labour shortages, infrastructure investments, and building a stronger Canada, chronic pain should be recognized not only as a health issue but also as critical for nation-building.

Since the Action Plan was released in 2021, important foundations have been laid. National leadership and coordination have been strengthened through the creation of Pain Canada. Provincial and territorial governments have increasingly expanded access to pain care, while educational programs and clinical resources have expanded health professionals' knowledge, confidence and skills in pain assessment and management. Canada’s research community continues to position the country as a global leader in pain science, knowledge mobilization and innovation.

Awareness has grown. Recognition of pain as a complex biopsychosocial condition in its own right, rather than simply a symptom to be endured, represents an important shift.

Yet five years later, substantial challenges remain. Access to interdisciplinary pain care continues to depend heavily on geography, income, and privilege. Rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities continue to experience significant barriers to care. Untreated pain continues to be a driver of overdose deaths and requests for Medical Assistance in Dying. Community-based organizations remain underfunded despite their essential role in helping people find hope, community and support.

These gaps matter for our populations' health outcomes but also for Canada's broader economic and social priorities. Without addressing the invisibility and lack of recognition of chronic pain, we cannot mitigate its impacts: on our citizens, communities, systems, society and economy.

That is why this year's Unsilence Pain campaign arrives at such an important moment. Launched during National Pain Awareness Week, the campaign encourages people to listen differently, respond with care, share credible information, and help connect people living with pain to support.

Five years after the Action Plan's release, Canada has demonstrated that prioritizing pain can drive meaningful progress. The question now is whether we are prepared to translate the progress of the last five years into equitable, widespread access to effective pain care through consistent implementation of the Acton Plan and a whole of society approach. Improving pain care will strengthen workforce participation, reduce disability, support healthier communities, and contribute to economic growth. 

The roadmap already exists. The accomplishments of the past five years demonstrate what is possible. A stronger Canada starts with ensuring that chronic pain is no longer a silent barrier to wellbeing, participation, and prosperity.

Maria Hudspith is the CEO of Pain BC, a registered charity, and the Pain Canada national action network. She was the lead author for the Action Plan for Pain in Canada. Dr. Fiona Campbell is a pediatric anesthesiologist and clinical researcher, former President of the Canadian Pain Society, Professor Emeritus in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Co-Director of the SickKids Hospital Pain Centre.

The views expressed are those of the author(s). Canada Healthwatch publishes a range of perspectives and does not necessarily endorse the opinions presented.