Quebec announces $250 million plan for preventive health care
Posted May 11, 2026 10:16 am.
Last Updated May 11, 2026 2:07 pm.
The Quebec government has announced a $250 million plan that includes 54 measures for preventive health care.
The plan serves as a roadmap for the next five years to implement the provincial preventive health strategy, which was announced last August.
“We’re rolling out the action plan, and then we’re investing outside of hospitals. That’s my message. Because, you know, in Quebec, we invest a lot in our hospitals, in our family medicine groups (GMFs), and in our local community health centers (CLSCs), but we also need to invest in prevention—that’s where it all happens,” said Health Minister Sonia Bélanger on Monday morning during a press conference in Montreal.
These 54 measures, which are structured around the 19 goals of the provincial strategy, aim to “reduce the growth in the burden of preventable diseases by 10 per cent and decrease the premature mortality gap linked to socioeconomic inequalities by 10 per cent.”
The plan takes a broad approach and aims to implement measures that, for example, will promote healthy lifestyles in the workplace, provide more support to people who want to quit smoking, and encourage the promotion, availability, and accessibility of physical activities.
“This is the first time in the field of prevention that we have officially recognized the link between sports, the outdoors, and recreation and prevention, and that we have allocated official funding to bring about change,” said Kariane Bourassa, sports and recreation minister.
“We often develop our interests based on where we grew up. If we come from a background where sports are highly valued, we’re more likely to participate in them. So, we need to reach people, regardless of their income, regardless of the neighborhood they live in, regardless of their age,” Bourassa added.
“Most of the time, we talk about illness,” but with this plan “we’re going to prioritize the health of Quebecers,” added Lionel Carmant, social services and homelessness minister, who also participated in the announcement on Monday morning.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
