June 13, 2025
Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care welcomes External Expert Review Panel report
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care is pleased that the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has released the External Expert Review (EER) Panel’s report.
“We thank the members of the EER for their time, diligence and considered recommendations,” says Dr. Donna Reynolds, a physician and member of the Task Force’s leadership team. “The EER report validates many areas that the Task Force has raised as part of continuous quality improvement and we look forward to helping implement these changes to meet the needs of Canada’s diverse population.”
The Task Force is internationally known for its rigorous evidence-based guidelines aimed at primary care providers.
The recommendations in this report are not only about modernizing the approach but about ensuring that preventive health care remains responsive to evolving scientific evidence, inclusive of diverse perspectives, adaptable to real-world delivery settings and to local public health priorities.
“This report presents findings and recommendations that will not only bolster the Task Force’s credibility but also enhance its ability to serve the evolving needs of primary care professionals and people living across Canada. By broadening the evidence base, embedding contextual flexibility into its methods, adopting more systematic, equity-centred engagement, and by strengthening governance, we can ensure that preventive health care guidelines remain both scientifically rigorous and practically relevant.”
– Vivek Goel, C.M., O.Ont., Chair, External Expert Review Panel
“We look forward to working with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to implement recommendations from the EER report,” says Dr. Eddy Lang, a leadership member of the Task Force and an emergency medicine physician. “Their recommendations will help improve guideline development and help us meet the needs for evidence-based guidelines to support clinicians and the health of Canadians.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which funds the Task Force, created the External Expert Review (EER) Panel in 2024 “to study the governance, mandate, and scientific review processes of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Task Force).”