Canada can eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, but health leaders say the country is at a “critical crossroads” and must double down on HPV vaccination and modern screening methods to meet the target.
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer says new modelling suggests elimination remains within reach, but only if Canada sustains efforts to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake and expands HPV-based cervical screening across all provinces and territories by 2035.
Despite being “almost entirely preventable,” cervical cancer claimed nearly 430 lives in Canada in 2025, according to data cited by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The Partnership is using January’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month to highlight priorities in the Action Plan for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Canada, 2020–2030, which calls for improving vaccine uptake and shifting from Pap tests to HPV testing as the primary screening tool.
“The goal of eliminating cervical cancer is still within reach,” Partnership CEO Dr. Craig Earle said in a statement, adding the target will require a stronger focus on populations facing the greatest barriers to vaccination and screening.
Earle said measures such as HPV self-screening must be expanded to help improve access and support health equity and reconciliation, priorities outlined in the national action plan.
The Partnership said the plan was developed with health partners across the country, including people with lived experience, screening networks and First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations.
Meanwhile, several clinics across Canada are also hosting cervical screening pop-up events this month to increase access, particularly for those without a regular health-care provider or who have struggled to make time for screening.
The pop-ups are being held in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec through partnerships with groups including HPV Global Action, the Women’s Health Coalition and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada.
Dr. Karla Willows, a gynecologic oncology specialist at Dalhousie University, said access matters because certain strains of HPV are the primary cause of cervical cancer and most people will be exposed to HPV at some point in their lives.
Health advocates say expanding screening options and improving follow-up care remain key to preventing disease and detecting cancer earlier.