Canada launches new preventive health advisory committee after disbanding task force

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 a professor at the University of Calgary’s school of medicine.

It replaces a task force that was launched in 2009 to develop preventive health services guidelines and screening recommendations for conditions like cervical and breast cancer.

That group’s work was paused in March 2025 by Mark Holland, the health minister at the time, after concerns were raised about the task force’s unwillingness to change breast cancer screening guidelines.

Experts, including the Canadian Cancer Society, had recommended at the time lowering the age for mammograms to 40. Some provinces began offering publicly funded mammograms for women from the age of 40 or 45.

An external review of the task force, released in April 2025, recommended modernizing its approach to ensure it was keeping up with evolving evidence. It called for a clear mandate, long-term funding and an accountable governance model.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group Dense Breasts Canada said it welcomes the announcement of the new advisory committee.

“It’s a matter of urgency for this advisory group to provide updated breast cancer screening guidelines. Lives depend on it,” said the group’s executive director Jennie Dale.

By Sarah Ritchie