Palliative care: What we’re doing
On this page
- Background
- The Framework on Palliative Care in Canada
- The Framework on Palliative Care in Canada – Five Years Later: A Report on the State of Palliative Care in Canada
- Action Plan on Palliative Care
- Home and Community-based Palliative Care: Shaping the Future from Lessons Learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Background
There is no single national palliative care program. This is why governments and health care institutions are developing better models of palliative care in Canada that will:
- have a range of settings and service providers
- recognize the needs of unpaid caregivers
- train more health care providers in a palliative approach to care
- encourage advance care planning and serious illness conversations as part of routine care
The Framework on Palliative Care in Canada
The Government of Canada passed a bill on December 12, 2017 calling for the Minister of Health to create a framework on palliative care. The resulting Act states that the Minister must:
- develop a framework that supports improved access to palliative care across Canada
- consult with provinces, territories and palliative care providers to make the framework
- report on the state of palliative care in Canada by December 4, 2023
The Act states the framework should focus on important issues facing palliative care, including:
- defining what palliative care is
- promoting research and data gathering
- ways to support palliative care providers
- ways to support access to palliative care for everyone, no matter where they live
- training and education for health professionals and other caregivers
The Minister of Health tabled the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada in Parliament on December 4, 2018. It includes:
- a common vision
- guiding principles
- short, medium and long term goals related to each issue
- priority actions that individuals or organizations can use in their palliative care policy and program planning
The framework represents a guideline for all palliative care stakeholders to use to improve access across Canada.
Learn more about:
- Framework on Palliative Care in Canada
- Framework on Palliative Care in Canada Act (formerly Bill C-277)
The Framework on Palliative Care in Canada – Five Years Later: A Report on the State of Palliative Care in Canada
Since the release of the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada in 2018, there have been collective efforts to advance palliative care awareness, access to training, supports for caregivers and providers, and to stimulate research and improve data collection on palliative care.
The Minister of Health tabled the Report on the State of Palliative Care in Canada in Parliament on December 4, 2023. This report takes stock of the landscape of palliative care in Canada and proposes recommendations on next steps for continued action.
Learn more about:
Action Plan on Palliative Care
This document lays out Health Canada's multi-year plan to tackle issues uncovered during the development of the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada. It identifies areas that fall under Health Canada's responsibility and includes specific activities to enhance:
- access
- quality of care
- health care system performance
It also complements current support to provinces and territories and their efforts to improve palliative care.
Health Canada is overseeing and coordinating implementation of the plan. We connect governments and stakeholders and serve as a knowledge centre to share best practices.
Learn more about:
Home and Community-based Palliative Care: Shaping the Future from Lessons Learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This 2021 report discusses challenges posed by the pandemic in the delivery of home and community-based palliative and end-of life care. It highlights many of the promising practices and innovative tools that emerged during this time. It is intended for:
- front-line teams
- health educators
- healthcare administrators
It aims to optimize the delivery of palliative care in home and community settings. The report is the result of a partnership between:
- Health Canada
- Healthcare Excellence Canada
- the Canadian Home Care Association
- the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
Pallium Canada and the Canadian Virtual Hospice provided support.
Learn more about:
- Home and Community-Based Palliative Care: Shaping the Future from Lessons Learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF, 6.11 MB)