Cervical cancer screening in Canada, 2026
Cervical cancer screening recruitment methods in Canada
Six provinces use initial letters of invitation as a recruitment method for their cervical cancer screening programs. In Newfoundland and Labrador, invitation letters are pending, and in Manitoba a letter of invitation is sent to eligible but never-screened individuals. The British Columbia program leverages recall notices when participants are due to screen again.
Cervical cancer screening recruitment strategies
| Province/Territory | Recruitment strategy |
|---|---|
| YT* | No organized screening program available |
| NT | No organized screening program available |
| NU | No organized screening program available |
| BC | Provincial awareness and advertising Recall notices are sent to participants when due to screen again |
| AB | Initial letter of invitation |
| SK | Initial letter of invitation Reminder after invitation letter is sent six months from date of initial invitation letter |
| MB | Letters of invitation are sent to unscreened persons starting at age 24 Letters of recall are sent to eligible participants when they are due to return |
| ON | Letter of invitation and reminder is sent in four months to non-responders Recall letters are sent to people every five years following a negative HPV test result |
| QC | No organized screening program available |
| NB | Initial and reminder letter of invitation to eligible population are combined with social media awareness promotion campaigns |
| NS | N/A |
| PE | N/A |
| NL | Cervical Screening Initiatives Program seeks to create awareness and promote access to cervical cancer screening throughout NL. This is achieved through engagement strategies and provision of access to service grants for PCPs. An Invitation process is being considered for future initiatives. |
Data are current as of October 2023, except for Ontario and Manitoba which are current as of February 2026. Data for Nunavut and Yukon presented here is from data collected for the 2021-2022 E-Scan. For the most up-to-date information, please reference each jurisdiction’s program website.
*YT: YT plans to provide letters of invitation.