Working together to improve health care in Canada: Measuring progress
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About measuring progress
Through bilateral agreements, the federal, provincial and territorial governments have agreed to work together to measure and report on progress made on shared health priorities.
Measuring and reporting on progress are key to upholding accountability and transparency. Public reporting allows people to assess the progress being made in health systems across Canada.
To support this work, the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan includes a 5-year investment of $505 million. This investment supports federal health data partners in their work with provinces and territories to:
- improve digital health tools
- develop new health data indicators
- support the use of data to improve safety and quality of care
- support the creation of a Centre of Excellence on health worker data
CIHI reporting
With the provinces and territories, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects health data to report on a common set of indicators. Data is released as updates become available.
As of April 2026, a total of 36 out of 40 health priority indicators are now reported publicly, including those established under the 2017 Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities. This marks a significant expansion of national health system reporting across key priority areas:
- primary care
- mental health and substance use
- health workforce and surgeries
- electronic health information
- aging with dignity
- long-term care
- home and continuing care
CIHI also continues to work with the Indigenous-led Cultural Safety Measurement Collaborative to develop and report on cultural safety and Indigenous-specific racism indicators.
CIHI reporting:
- strengthens Canada’s health data infrastructure
- improves the ability to compare against our international peers
- links health system investments to measurable outcomes of health care performance across the country
Learn more about the indicators and the statement of principles:
Provincial and territorial reporting
Provinces and territories also report on province- or territory-specific indicators. These indicators show the progress made on initiatives that reflect the needs of their residents, geography and health systems.
Provinces and territories set targets for each indicator in their action plans and report on their progress every year. These reports are available on their web pages.