Read the CAR's Pre-Budget Submissions below:
2024 Pre-Budget Submission
Read the CAR's 2024 Pre-Budget Submission.
The CAR, in consultation with the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) and Sonography Canada, are putting forward the following recommendations to help increase capacity within medical imaging, thus enabling our healthcare system to better care for patients. The Federal Government needs to:
People
1. Invest in the hiring and retention of MRTs and sonographers as part of a health human resource strategy to reduce backlogs and improve health services. Canada needs an additional 2,000 MRTs and sonographers in the next three years.
Technology
2. Take a leadership role in the implementation of Clinical Decision Support systems, to help streamline the imaging referral process and ensure patients receive the right test at the right time.
3. Demonstrate leadership in AI through the incorporation of the CAR’s Radiology Artificial Intelligence Validation Network’s (RAIVN) framework to improve the evaluation and regulation of AI in Canada as part of Health Canada’s Medical Devices Directorate regulatory process.
Equipment
4. Guide an investment of $2 billion over three years for radiology equipment.
2023 Pre-Budget Submission
Read the CAR's 2023 Pre-Budget Submission.
The CAR recommends:
- Invest $1 billion over three years for MI equipment to be distributed to the provinces on a per capita basis. In conjunction it is imperative that the Government, working with radiology stakeholders, implement a health human resources strategy, including hiring more medical radiation technologists (MRTs) and sonographers to help support the increased equipment capacity.
- Support the implementation of a national e-referrals program (clinical decision support) to equip referring health professionals with better access to MI guidelines, ensuring that patients receive the right imaging test at the right time.
- Harness homegrown AI applications for the strategic prioritization of health human resources, technology, and infrastructure for MI in Canada.
2023 Multi-Stakeholder Report
The CAR, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologist, the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network and Sonography Canada have come together with a common goal to improving access to medical imaging care for Canadians. Included within this brief are recommendations to address the backlog, decreasing wait times for medical imaging in Canada.
2022 Pre-Budget Submission
Read the CAR's 2022 PreBudget Submission.
The CAR recommends:
- The Government make a $1.5 billion investment to enhance the resilience of medical imaging in Canada.
- Support the implementation of a national e-referrals program (Clinical Decision Support) to provide referring health professionals with better access to medical imaging guidelines, ensuring that patients receive the right test at the right times
- The creation of a National Data Science Institute to harness AI for the strategic prioritization of health human resources, technology, and infrastructure for medical imaging in the wake of the pandemic and beyond.
2021 Pre-Budget Submission
Read the CAR's 2021 Pre-Budget Submission.
The CAR recommends:
- The Government make a $1.5 billion investment to enhance the resilience of medical imaging in Canada.
- The Government create a National Imaging Data Institute to harness AI for the strategic prioritization of health human resources, technology, and infrastructure for medical imaging in the wake of this pandemic and beyond.
2020 Pre-Budget Submission
Read the CAR's 2020 Pre-Budget Submission.
The CAR recommends:
- $1.1 billion over the next five years, as part of the federal transfer to the provinces, to ensure imaging equipment meets the quality standards that patients deserve, inclusive of our seniors and indigenous communities.
- $9 million over three years to fund projects to implement clinical decision support tools for imaging referrals.
- $10.5 million over three years to establish federal frameworks to regulate the implementation of AI tools in radiology and healthcare.
- Revise the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Care Breast Imaging Guidelines, lowering the breast imaging screening age to 40 years of age.
2019 Pre-Budget Submission
Read the CAR's 2019 Pre-Budget Submission.
The CAR recommends:
- Invest $625 million over five years, as part of the federal transfer to the provinces, to ensure that available imaging equipment meets the quality standards that patients deserve inclusive of our seniors and indigenous communities.
- Invest $3 million in 2019 for medical imaging equipment in Northern communities to help eradicate tuberculosis.
- Invest $9 million over three years to fund projects to implement clinical decision support tools for imaging referrals.
- Invest $10.5 million over three years through the Strategic Innovation Fund, sponsored by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to begin establishing federal frameworks to regulate the implementation of AI tools in medicine and healthcare.
Become Involved: Join the Parliamentary Outreach Program
The CAR will be offering support and materials for members who would like to make a difference and increase awareness of these and other issues. Sign up for the Parliamentary Outreach Program and join the coalition for optimal medical imaging care for patients in Canada.
The CAR will select representatives in each province to be our grassroots champions for medical imaging across the country. Each designated spokesperson will receive a toolkit to make outreach to their provincial MP. There will also be an opportunity for representatives to be selected to partake in our annual Day on the Hill in Ottawa in November.
Sign up today by contacting Natalie St-Pierre, Director, Marketing and Communications at [email protected].