Ottawa launching countrywide survey in buildup toward formal men’s health strategy

Health Minister Marjorie Michel rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.

OTTAWA — The federal government is taking its first steps toward developing a national men’s health strategy, launching a survey for Canadians to weigh in.

As previously reported by The Canadian Press, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel is working on a strategy on men’s and boys’ health, to be released later this year.

The national online survey will launch in early March and will run until the beginning of June.

Advocacy group Movember and researchers from the University of British Columbia released a report last summer calling on the federal government to create such a strategy.

The group says 75,000 Canadian men died prematurely in 2023, and many of their deaths were from preventable causes.

The report found a majority of men delayed seeking treatment for symptoms, and less than half felt listened to when they first received health care.

Health Canada said it’s working with Movember Canada to develop the strategy.

Sunday’s news is the first time the government has formally acknowledged its work toward launching a national strategy.

A news release from Health Canada on the survey says taxpayers would save $12.4 million annually with improved men’s health outcomes, “with billions more in increased productivity,” citing research from the Movember study.

“To build Canada Strong, we need the full participation of everyone in our society. Help us build a strategy that improves health, prevents harm, and strengthens our communities — for men, boys, and for everyone in Canada.," Michel said in a statement accompanying the news release.

Canada stands to be among one of only a few countries to have a men’s health strategy, along with South Africa, Malaysia, Brazil and the U.K.

The U.K. strategy report points out that British men live shorter lives than women and are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Three out of four people who died by suicide in the U.K. in 2024 were men.

The British report also states that “good health is not a zero-sum game and improving the health and well-being of men and women are complementary objectives.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2026

— With files from Sarah Ritchie

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press