The federal budget presented on November 4th shows promise for a long overdue step toward improving women’s equality and health in Canada. As a collective of women’s health leaders and organizations, we commend the Government of Canada for recognizing the urgent need to close long-standing gaps for women. Although we are disappointed that women’s health is not explicitly outlined as a priority, there are commitments made that stand to benefit women in this country including:
1. The significant multi year renewal for WAGE to revitalize and stabilise efforts to advance women’s equality in Canada. When women have equitable access to health research, innovation and care they can fully participate in the workforce, education and leadership. Thus, driving economic security, reduced gendered barriers to productivity and ensuring equality efforts are sustainable.
2. The decisive investment in attracting and retaining top talent to Canada’s health research and innovation systems. By investing in the next generation of researchers and innovators in women’s health we not only advance equity we build talent, jobs and commercial strength that will keep Canada globally competitive.
3. The $1 billion investment for the Business Development Bank of Canada to launch the Venture and Growth Capital Catalyst Initiative that underscores life sciences as a national priority. Yet, as noted in the government’s own Gender-Based Analysis Plus, this initiative is expected to disproportionately benefit men. By earmarking a portion of this capital for funds that prioritize women’s health innovation, the Government of Canada can correct this imbalance and drive inclusive economic growth while ensuring public investment delivers returns that benefit all Canadians.
We are encouraged to see a few opportunities where women’s health could finally be prioritized but this must be the beginning, not the end.
Despite this potential investment, Canada still lacks a comprehensive National Women’s Health Strategy, a roadmap that ensures funding decisions translate into measurable, lasting change. There has been no national women’s health strategy since 1999, and that outdated framework is no longer in use. Without a coordinated national approach, progress will remain fragmented and imbalanced.
Canada has set an ambitious goal to build a stronger, more resilient economy and become one of the world’s top-performing nations. To achieve that, we must ensure that 50 percent of our population — women — are healthy, supported, and able to thrive. Closing the gender health gap could contribute an estimated $37 billion to Canada’s GDP by 2040, making this one of the smartest and most inclusive economic strategies the country can pursue.
The economic case is clear: advancing women’s health is not just the right thing to do, it is essential to Canada’s prosperity.
We call on the Government of Canada to:
- Commit to developing a new National Women’s Health Strategy by 2026, in partnership with provinces, territories, and women’s health and Indigenous leaders and a ministerial coalition between Health, ISED and WAGE.
- Establish a clear accountability framework to measure progress, ensure transparency, and maintain focus beyond a single budget cycle.
- Sustain and grow funding in areas such as research, innovation and commercialization activities, diagnosis, access to care, data collection, and regional equity to close the gender gap in health outcomes.
Canadian women are watching. The promise of progress must become a plan for transformation. Without a national strategy, today’s commitments risk becoming short-term gestures rather than systemic solutions.
We stand ready to collaborate with the Government of Canada and all provincial and territorial partners to co-create a strategy that delivers measurable outcomes and meaningful change for women across this country.
Women’s health is not a niche issue, it is central to the health, prosperity, and future of our nation.