Did you know that your elected representatives have a mandate to hear from and meet with you as their constituent? Every elected official’s office has hours during which they talk and meet with people. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard as someone who...
We would like to thank all participants of the CAPA Webinar on Disability Tax Credit (DTC) that was hosted by the Canada Revenue Agency representatives on Saturday, October 24, 2020. Participants were able to learn about eligibility criteria and how to apply for these...
Bill C-17 amends the Food and Drugs Act, which hasn’t been substantially updated in over 50 years. It was introduced to the House of Commons by the Minister of Health in December 2013. The Bill has two main goals: Strengthen safety oversight of therapeutic...
Pain is the hallmark symptom of the various forms of arthritis. We've been involved in advocating on issues relating to arthritis pain, such as the federal action plan on opioids and the Chronic Pain Research Network. Health Canada information about Opioids Letter to...
Given that more information is now available regarding biosimilars, CAPA has updated its biosimilar position paper as of September 2019.
Medical cannabis is an important topic for people who live with arthritis and who are looking for ways to relieve their pain. CAPA's position paper is here, and you may also wish to learn more about this topic using resources provided by the Arthritis...
Arthritis Patient Charter The effort to create this Arthritis Patient Charter, once again has been a truly grassroots one, with all groups in the arthritis community working together under CAPA’s leadership. The landscape of arthritis and healthcare...
Together with Arthritis Society Canada, we shared the perspective of people living with arthritis with Health Canada as it relates to regulations about cannabis. Our response was informed by our work over the years, including the Medical Cannabis Position Paper, and...
Together with other stakeholders, CAPA contributed to writing a letter to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on broader access to diverse COVID-19 vaccine options for Canadians. Read a full letter.
We shared the perspective of people living with arthritis with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) in response to their open consultation on the pan-Canadian Data Content Framework. Our response was informed by our work on the “Know your Numbers”...
We have shared our perspectives about the proposed changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) over the years. We continued to share the need for PMPRB to actively engage with patients, or people with lived or living experience, in all aspects of...
We participated in consultations held by Employment and Social Development Canada, a federal organization that is leading the development of the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) regulations. The CDB was passed in legislation in June 2023 however the details of what...
We participated in consultations held by the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), an federal organization that determines whether or not it will enter into a negotiation for a drug and negotiates terms of an agreement with a drug manufacturer. We developed a...
The Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) wrote a letter about the recent policy change that removed the requirement for masking at health care facilities in provinces of Canada. We addressed this letter to all provincial Health Ministers asking to reinstate the...
The Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA), a group of individuals who live with autoimmune inflammatory arthritis and who are on immunosuppressant therapies has reached out to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI’s) with feedback on...
For over a decade now, CAPA has been contributing the perspectives of people who live with arthritis to CADTH’s input submissions having encouraged the use of Real World Evidence (RWE) from the arthritis environment in Canada to be used by CADTH as there are a number...
The federal government is currently debating the creation of a new Canada Disability Benefit for people of working age. We developed a policy brief for the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities...
We launched a survey to understand the experiences of people living with rheumatic disease with Patient Support Programs (PSPs). PSPs were introduced in the early 2000s when biologics came onto the market to support health care providers monitor patients taking these medications. The services also help patients navigate the complexity of getting high-cost medications reimbursed and understand how to administer the medication(s).
Want to learn about the steps and process for getting new drugs approved in Canada? Learn about the basics of drug discovery and clinical trials in this 1 hour webinar with Dawn Richards, PhD, Director of Patient and Public Engagement at Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO)...
We know pain and fatigue are some of the most common symptoms of living with arthritis, and many people living with arthritis have asked us about using medical cannabis for their symptoms. We are pleased to offer another webinar for our community where we will bring...
2024 President’s Message It’s amazing to me that another full year has passed since I wrote last year’s message. Time goes by quickly and I hope you have managed to carve out some time for self-care! 2023 was a productive year for CAPA; Anna Samson has taken on our...
By: Bella Cairns Hi, I’m Bella Cairns, a student occupational therapist (OT) from McMaster University. I am in the final six weeks of my academic career and am thrilled to be joining CAPA for part of my final placement. I am working alongside Laurie Proulx and...
By: Anna Samson Imagine being in constant pain as a teenager and after years of being in pain and going to doctors, you finally get diagnosed with arthritis. Unfortunately, many people don’t believe you because they think it’s a condition that only affects the...
Prolonged fevers, rashes, chronic inflammation, joint pain and swelling, and chronic fatigue; these are just a few of the symptoms that can affect patients living with rare autoinflammatory conditions. Some of these diseases occur soon after birth and can develop...
CAPA’s very own Laurie Proulx presented with researchers, patient leaders, and rheumatologists at this year’s Canadian Rheumatology Association annual meeting.
In 2014, the Arthritis Alliance of Canada (AAC), a former nationwide coalition of more than thirty-five groups including people living with arthritis, health care professionals, researchers, funding agencies, government, voluntary sector agencies and industry...
Meet Dr. Cheryl Barnabe: Making a difference for Indigenous people with rheumatic conditions (by Laurie Proulx) Did you know that some forms of arthritis, like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, are more common in Indigenous people? Health...
The Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) works with various groups in the arthiritis community to ensure the voice of people living with arthritis is heard and to bring you up-to-date information on issues that affect the arthritis community. We work with healthcare professionals, health organizations, clinicians, industry, health charities, researchers, and various levels of government.
We keep Canadian people living with arthritis and their support groups understand more about their disease and have a voice in managing it.
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