The federal government has launched a new advisory committee on preventive health care, more than a year after pausing the work of a task force that had come under fire for failing to keep up with expert advice on cancer screening.
The National Advisory Committee on Preventive Health Services is a 14-member group led by Dr. David Keegan, a family physician and professor at the University of Calgary’s school of medicine. The preventive health advisory committee Canada replaces a task force originally launched in 2009 to develop preventive health services guidelines and screening recommendations for conditions like cervical and breast cancer.
That previous task force’s work was paused in March 2025 by then-health minister Mark Holland after concerns were raised about the group’s unwillingness to change breast cancer screening guidelines despite mounting evidence that earlier screening saves lives.
Experts, including the Canadian Cancer Society, had recommended lowering the age for mammograms to 40, arguing that earlier detection could significantly improve survival rates. Several provinces took action on their own and began offering publicly funded mammograms for women starting at age 40 or 45, moving ahead of the national task force’s recommendations.
An external review of the task force released in April 2025 recommended modernizing its approach to ensure it was keeping up with evolving medical evidence. The review called for a clear mandate, long-term stable funding, and an accountable governance model to prevent the delays and stagnation that had plagued the previous group.
For Durham Region residents, the launch of the new committee is an important development in the ongoing effort to improve cancer screening and preventive care across Canada. Durham is home to several major health care facilities, including Lakeridge Health, which serves thousands of patients across Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering. Timely and evidence-based screening guidelines directly impact the care available to families in the community.
Advocacy groups are welcoming the new committee but say the urgency is real. Dense Breasts Canada, a patient advocacy organization, issued a statement on Wednesday saying it welcomes the announcement but stressed that updated breast cancer screening guidelines must come quickly.
Jennie Dale, the group’s executive director, said it is a matter of urgency for this advisory group to provide updated breast cancer screening guidelines because lives depend on it. The pressure is now on the new preventive health advisory committee Canada body to deliver timely, evidence-based recommendations that reflect the latest medical research and put patient outcomes first.
The formation of the new committee signals a fresh start for preventive health policy in Canada, but patients and health care providers across Durham Region and beyond will be watching closely to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
