The severity of the challenges to facilitate and access medical imaging facing Canadian patients and healthcare professionals is resonating with federal officials and national news media after the CAR’s Day on the Hill.
Members of the CAR convened in Ottawa on October 20 and 21 for the annual advocacy event, ready to meet with governmental officials from different political affiliations to present several key priorities ahead of the 2026 federal budget.
A handful of meetings took place on Monday, October 20, before the day concluded with a reception featuring CAR members and several corporate partners with on-site demonstrations of the latest technology for invited MPs and guests.
“We really appreciate being here, meeting with MPs and Senators to highlight the significance of the issues that we have in medical imaging,” said CAR President Dr. Alison Harris. “Our priorities for this year include the focus on health human resources – we know that we have a shortage of radiologists and technologists across the country, so we are really trying to highlight those shortages with the people that we meet. The second priority is AI and the Health AI Validation Network (HAIVN.ca), which is a concept that we have been advocating for a number of years, and we are trying to get traction and funding to provide oversight for these emerging technologies. Thirdly, equipment; we all need to replace outdated medical imaging equipment in our departments, and we’re seeing this across the country. We’re dealing with ageing equipment, so we are seeking a federal investment to replenish and renew medical imaging equipment across the country. And lastly, we strongly believe that clinical decision support (e-referrals) will help enable patients to get the right test at the right time, and will provide referring clinicians with evidence-based, guideline-driven advice on how best to order and request tests for their patients.”
In total, over 30 meetings took place on Parliament Hill over the course of the two-day event with a dozen expert CAR members articulating medical imaging’s dire situation and the subsequent impacts on Canada’s population and economy. Read more about the CAR’s priorities in the 2026 Pre-Budget Submission.
Making Headline News
In addition to the CAR’s priorities being well-received within the meeting rooms of Canada’s Parliament, they resonated with many national news media outlets. Quotes from the CAR’s national press conference on October 20 were picked up on CPAC and other news stations, while the subsequent media release led to many interview requests for our expertise from the Globe and Mail, the Hill Times, Canadian Healthcare Technology, and more.
“We rank fairly low among developed countries in terms of the of the medical imaging equipment inventory, but we also spend less, which is really important,” Dr. Kate Hanneman pointed out in conversation with CBC Radio Afternoon Drive host Matt Allen. “We’re doing less imaging, we’re spending less, and in many cases, the imaging equipment is really old and past its expected lifespan.”
Thanks to all our members for their tireless work in putting together these advocacy efforts. Based on the media attention and positive response from government officials, the momentum for change is clearly moving in the right direction.