Arthritis Action Now unites 21 organizations, more than 100,000 patients, researchers, clinicians and advocates to transform arthritis research and care in Canada
TORONTO, April 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canada is failing arthritis patients, and the evidence is undeniable. For the second time in three years, The State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card has assigned low and failing grades to every single province and territory. In response to this crisis, Arthritis Society Canada is leading the launch of Arthritis Action Now: The Plan to End Arthritis in Canada – the most ambitious and coordinated national strategy ever assembled to confront the country’s number one cause of disability.
Canada’s Report Card: Our system is failing millions of Canadians
More than six million Canadians live with arthritis – one in five people. It costs the economy $45.9 billion annually in healthcare spending and lost productivity. Yet arthritis research is underfunded, awarded less than two percent of investment from Canada’s largest federal funder of health research.
The Report Card highlights widespread gaps in access to care, treatments, and research. While British Columbia, Ontario, and Québec scored highest among jurisdictions, not a single province or territory achieved a grade above a “C”. Atlantic provinces – which have some of the highest rates of arthritis in the country – continue to face significant challenges. The Territories are grappling with the most significant data gaps.
Persistent limitations in available data make it difficult to even assess the scale of the problem, reinforcing the desperate need for improved data collection and transparency.
Arthritis is not just a condition of aging. It affects children, working-age adults, and seniors. It robs people of mobility, mental health, education, employment, and their independence. Despite its devastating scale and impact, arthritis remains one of the most underestimated, misunderstood, and chronically underfunded diseases in Canada. Until we confront this crisis with the urgency it demands, millions will continue to suffer.
“My last teen years were spent in significant pain — at one point, I couldn’t even stand for 10 minutes. Thankfully, medication turned things around,” said William Ducas of Quebec City, who was diagnosed with arthritis in his late teens. “Arthritis Action Now gives me hope that the system will better support young people with arthritis – that they’ll get diagnosed faster, access treatments sooner, and won’t have to fight as hard as I did just to stand.”
Arthritis Action Now offers the solution
For the first time, 21 leading organizations across Canada’s arthritis ecosystem have united with more than 100,000 patients, researchers, clinicians, and advocates behind one bold commitment. The plan provides a comprehensive roadmap to prevent, better treat, and ultimately cure arthritis through advocacy efforts and research investments.
Policy actions to:
- Reduce wait times for joint replacements
- Connect patients to experts faster
- Ensure timely access to critical medications, especially for children
- Reduce arthritis caused by injuries through prevention and awareness programs
- Position Canada as a global leader in research, prevention, and treatment innovation
And research and innovation breakthroughs that:
- Deliver the world’s first disease-modifying treatment for osteoarthritis
- Achieve long-lasting remission for inflammatory arthritis in adults and children
- Use a person’s genetic profile to personalize their treatment
- Create integrated data and clinical research platforms
- Address health inequities to support underserved communities
“This Report Card confirms what people living with arthritis already know – Canada is not meeting the scale of this crisis,” said Trish Barbato, President and CEO of Arthritis Society Canada. “We will no longer accept incremental change. Governments at every level must act on these findings with the urgency this crisis demands. Arthritis Action Now provides the roadmap – now we need the political will and investment to make it happen. Canadians living with arthritis deserve better.”
What Canadians can do now
- Tell your elected officials you refuse the status quo and demand action now on stronger arthritis research, prevention, and care. Take action at arthritis.ca/ArthritisActionNow.
About Arthritis Society Canada
Arthritis Society Canada represents more than six million people in Canada living with arthritis today, and the millions more who are impacted or at risk. Fueled by the trust and support of our donors and volunteers, Arthritis Society Canada is fighting arthritis with research, advocacy, innovation, information and support. We are Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research. We will not give up our efforts until everyone is free from the agony of arthritis. Arthritis Society Canada is accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, visit arthritis.ca.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Julia Koichopolos
MAVERICK Public Relations
[email protected]
416-938-2882
Jenny Ng
Arthritis Society Canada
[email protected]
416-455-1182
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d1ed234e-dfa3-4cb6-ae25-facbc2ba9817