2025-2026 Annual report
Looking ahead
As CPAC embarks on its next five-year business plan, Canada’s cancer system is entering a defining period — one marked by significant challenges as well as tremendous opportunities.
The incidence of cancer is rising, and advances across the cancer continuum are creating new opportunities to reduce risk, find cancer earlier and help more people live longer with and beyond the disease. At the same time, these advances are increasing demand on an already stretched healthcare system and workforce. Meeting this moment will require collaboration, innovation and sustained action across the cancer system.
Guided by the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, CPAC will build on the progress highlighted throughout this report and continue working with partners to turn evidence, innovation and shared priorities into action across the cancer system. We will focus our efforts where we can have the greatest impact and accelerate progress by:
- Advancing the elimination of cervical cancer through implementation of HPV primary screening, expanded vaccination and more equitable approaches to screening.
- Improving earlier and more equitable diagnosis by expanding organized screening, strengthening connections between screening and smoking cessation, and helping populations facing systemic barriers access timely diagnostic care.
- Transforming models of care by spreading approaches that bring high-quality, culturally appropriate care closer to home, strengthen and expand access to palliative care and survivorship, and improve the experience of people affected by cancer.
- Advancing reconciliation by embedding First Nations, Inuit and Métis leadership, self-determination and data sovereignty across cancer system priorities, while supporting Peoples-specific approaches to culturally appropriate care closer to home.
- Strengthening Canada’s cancer data system by advancing the pan-Canadian Cancer Data Strategy, expanding the use of timely, equitable data and accelerating innovation and use of AI to support better decisions and better care.
- Deepening collaboration across Canada and internationally by bringing partners together, sharing knowledge and contributing to global efforts to improve cancer outcomes.
This work comes at a time of renewed international commitment, including among G7 nations, to accelerate progress against cancer, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and shared learning. Together with our partners, CPAC will continue building on the progress already underway to create a more equitable, sustainable and person-centred cancer system for everyone in Canada.