Federal report offers 'first step' toward health strategy for men and boys: advocate

The federal government has released a report outlining challenges related to boys' and men's health as it works toward a national strategy to be released next year.

The report, published last week, raises concerns about stereotypes about masculinity and highlights the need for increased access to support and community spaces.

The report took into account the experiences of nearly 6,000 people and organizations who took part in roundtables, filled out an online questionnaire and shared written submissions.

The group Movember is working with Ottawa on the strategy as an independent convening partner. Its director of policy and advocacy Catherine Corriveau called the report a good "first step."

"I think this is the first step of a very long staircase to understanding the scope of men and boys' health in Canada," she said.

Corriveau said the government needs to consider the different experiences of men and boys across Canada, since the report could not share all perspectives gathered through feedback from 6,000 individuals and organizations.

"I really don't think there's many barriers to this strategy," she said. "There's definitely clear buckets that have been identified for funding as well and very feasible policy changes and pathways that have been laid out for government to take."

Corriveau noted that health didn't seem to be a critical issue in the federal government's budget released last week.

"My hope is that they want to make that when this strategy comes out, it has serious funding tied to it so we're not just putting a piece of paper on a shelf and calling it a day," she said.

Health Canada says the country's first federal health strategy for men and boys will be released in early 2027. Health Minister Marjorie Michel previously said it would be released later this year.

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani has called for a national health strategy for men and boys. He hosted townhalls with other members of Parliament to encourage participation in the government's consultation process for the strategy.

In June, he sent a letter to Michel outlining the issues he said had come up over and over in the consultations and adding he hoped they would be addressed in the strategy. They included recognizing and respecting "traditional masculinity," defunding safe supply and safe injection sites and ending diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce.

Speaking to The Canadian Press, Jivani said that while there are good things in the report, those issues were not covered.

"That's my primary source of frustration and then you combine that with the fact that they delayed the announcement of the strategy to 2027," he said. "It's not building a lot of confidence that they're taking this thing as seriously as I wish they were."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2026.

By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.