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Quebec 2026 provincial election

Arthritis Priorities for Quebec's 2026 Provincial Election

Helping Quebecers living with arthritis make informed choices

Health care is expected to be one of the defining issues of Quebec's 2026 provincial election.

Every political party is promising to improve access to care, reduce wait times and strengthen the healthcare system. For more than one million Quebecers living with arthritis, these commitments will influence how quickly they receive a diagnosis, whether they can access evidence-based treatments recommended by their health care professionals, and how long they wait for surgery and rehabilitation.

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in Quebec and affects people of all ages. Half of the people living with arthritis in Quebec are under the age of 65. More than 100 types of arthritis can cause pain, inflammation, fatigue and progressive joint damage. Timely diagnosis, evidence-based treatment and coordinated care can reduce disability, preserve mobility and help people remain active at home, at work and in their communities.

For more than a decade, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) has published Vote for Arthritis during provincial and federal elections to help people living with arthritis understand the issues, compare party commitments and ask informed questions of local candidates.

What to look for in Party health commitments

As Quebec's political parties release their election platforms, people living with arthritis should look for commitments that will:
  • Improve timely diagnosis and access to rheumatologists and multidisciplinary arthritis care teams.
  • Improve access to evidence-based arthritis medications by aligning medication access policies with the best available clinical evidence and treatment guidelines.
  • Reduce wait times for joint replacement surgery and rehabilitation.
  • Address regional inequities in access to arthritis care.
  • Publicly report progress in improving arthritis care and health system performance.
ACE survey

ACE letter sent to each candidate included: