QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Health

Minister, welcome to the Senate. As you know, chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is now the eleventh leading cause of death in Canada and costs our health care system billions of dollars annually. The Kidney Foundation of Canada has developed a national framework for chronic kidney disease to support provinces and territories in strengthening prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research.

Could you outline whether the government will adopt these recommendations, whether you’ve seen them and what concrete steps it will take to better address the growing burden of kidney disease in Canada? This endorsement and official adoption of the framework by the Government of Canada is a necessary catalyst for transforming this blueprint of meaningful action that will improve the lives of people living with kidney disease.

Thank you for that response. I know you met with them, as did I. I would encourage your office to meet again with the representatives you already met with and examine their proposal in detail, which you promised to do. The government, through the Public Health Agency of Canada, could formally recognize chronic kidney disease within the Chronic Disease Surveillance System.

Would you make such a commitment today? Such recognition would mark a meaningful turning point, strengthening data collection, enabling earlier detection and improving equitable access to care for Canadians looking for some sort of guidance or commitment.