Ongoing focus on HPV vaccination and screening needed to reach Canada’s goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040
We are at a crossroads on our way to this goal. Recent data from the Canadian Cancer Society indicates cervical cancer rates in Canada have plateaued since 2005, after declining for decades.
This is concerning. Cervical cancer claimed nearly 430 lives in Canada in 2025 despite being one of the few cancers that can be eliminated.
Cervical cancer is almost always caused by certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), and can be prevented through a combination of HPV vaccination and screening.
We have the tools for elimination
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) is leading the implementation of the Action Plan for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Canada, 2020-2030. Through the Action Plan, provinces and territories across the country are working to improve HPV vaccination uptake, and shift to a newer, more effective and often less invasive way to screen for cervical cancer.
A key element of the Action Plan is ensuring everyone – regardless of geography, income, race or other factors – can access screening and vaccination.
As a country, we need to continue to support and invest in this work
Recent modelling projections indicate that eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 will require sustained efforts to increase HPV vaccination and make HPV screening available across all provinces and territories by 2035.
The goal is still within reach – as long as policymakers, cancer and healthcare specialists, and community leaders work urgently and collaboratively to boost HPV vaccination and access to HPV screening across Canada.
About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
As steward of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (the Strategy), the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer works with provincial and territorial ministries of health and their cancer programs, First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments and organizations, health system leaders and experts, and people affected by cancer across Canada to implement the Strategy to improve cancer outcomes for all people in Canada. Learn more at partnershipagainstcancer.ca.
