To the Leaders of Canada’s Federal Political Parties,

As we approach the 2025 federal election, Canadians are looking to their leaders for bold action on the most pressing issues of our time — economic stability, global uncertainty, and the rising cost of living. Yet one fundamental truth remains unchanged: we will all, at some point, face serious illness, death, and loss. How we support one another through these moments is a measure of our shared humanity - one that will be tested like never before as Canada’s population grows and ages.

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) urges all political parties to commit to making access to high-quality, equitable palliative care a national priority.

Palliative care is a solution that reflects Canadian values: care close to home, compassionate support, and dignity at the end of life. Despite the progress made since the release of the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada in 2018, access to care remains inconsistent and inequitable. Too many people across the country continue to die without the supports they need. Nearly 3 in 5 Canadians who died in 2021–2022 received palliative care – but that means 4 in 10 did not. Moreover, for many, this support came too late—almost half of those identified for palliative care received it within just 22 days of death. Finally, we still don’t have a way to measure the quality of palliative care people received.

Implementing early palliative care improves outcomes and reduces pressure on acute care, offering a compassionate and cost-effective solution for a strained health system. There is an urgent need to expand access to services such as respite and in-home supports that align with people’s preferences and reduce strain on hospitals. Caregivers themselves report limited progress in receiving support services, such as bereavement care and respite.

Our work through Advance Care Planning Canada has shown the power of informed conversations and early planning to help people of all abilities express their values and preferences for care. Yet far too many still face challenges accessing the services required to honour those plans. Without leadership, funding, and coordinated national action, too many Canadians will continue to face barriers that prevent them from receiving the care and supports they need.

This election, we ask you:

• How will your party ensure that all Canadians, regardless of diagnosis, geography, or income, have access to timely and culturally safer palliative care?
• How will your party support the unpaid caregivers who are the backbone of our care system?
• How will you invest in a system that not only eases suffering, but reduces emergency visits, long hospital stays, and overall costs to the health care system?

We urge all parties to reaffirm their past support for the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada and to commit to real, tangible progress in the next Parliament. Canadians deserve leadership that acknowledges what truly matters: at the beginning, during, and at the end of life.

Sincerely,

Karine Diedrich & Cheryl Spencer
Acting Co-CEOs
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) www.chpca.ca

About Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) — the national voice for hospice palliative care in Canada – is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in care for persons approaching death so that the burdens of suffering, loneliness and grief are lessened. CHPCA operates in close partnership with other national organizations and continues to work to ensure that all Canadians, regardless of where they may live, have equal access to quality hospice palliative care services for themselves and their family.