Leading Beyond the Gap
Blueprint for Action
on Women's Health
Canada now has a clear, evidence-based roadmap to close the women’s health gap — and the opportunity to lead by acting together.
The Leading Beyond the Gap: Closing the Women’s Health Gap in Canada builds on the findings of the report from McKinsey Health Institute,
“Closing the women’s health gap: Canada’s $37 billion opportunity”
to outline how coordinated, pan-Canadian action can improve women’s health outcomes, strengthen workforce participation, and unlock shared economic benefits.
Developed by WHCC with knowledge partner, McKinsey & Company Canada, through a pro bono partnership and informed by expert input from across the country, the report moves beyond evidence and insight to action and implementation.
Women in Canada live longer than men, yet spend 24% more of their lives in poor health. These outcomes are not inevitable, they are the result of systems that were not designed with women in mind. The Blueprint shows how that can change, moving Canada from awareness to action, and from fragmentation to leadership.
”Women are not a niche population, we are central to Canada’s economy, workforce, and communities. This Blueprint shows how we can design systems that truly work for women, improve health and participation, and deliver real quality-of-life gains. It’s time to move from awareness to action.
Amy FloodExecutive Director, WHCC
Five Pillars of Action
Closing the women’s health gap requires coordinated
action across five interconnected pillars.
We Know
• Strengthen sex and gender-disaggregated data across research and care
• Ensure equitable representation of women in clinical trials
• Make women visible in evidence, innovation, and decision-making
We Care
• Embed sex-specific clinical pathways into standard care
• Improve access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
• Reduce delays and fragmentation across the health system
We Invest
• Scale funding for women’s health research
• Accelerate Canadian women’s health innovation
• Align public, private, and philanthropic investment with real burden of disease
We Advocate
• Advance national coordination and shared accountability
• Align policy, funding, and system incentives
• Ensure progress is measurable, transparent, and sustained
We Act
• Mobilize leaders across sectors to implement solutions now
• Move beyond pilots and isolated initiatives
• Translate evidence into real-world impact for women
”The Blueprint is our roadmap to a $37 billion opportunity — and to unlocking the health potential of 20 million Canadian women. As an ER physician, I see the cost of inaction every day: delayed diagnoses, preventable complications, lives limited not by medical science, but by systems that weren't built with women in mind. Canada has everything we need to lead: world-class infrastructure, research excellence, and the resources to act. This is our moment.
Dr. Marie-Renée B-LajoiePartner, McKinsey & Company, ER physician
Powering Public Awareness
& Education
Public awareness and outreach for the Blueprint for Action are supported by Desjardins Insurance,
helping translate evidence into action and mobilize leadership across sectors.
”At Desjardins Insurance, we believe women deserve to be supported in their health and well‑being at every stage of life. The Blueprint for Action shines a light on gaps that too many women experience and offers a clear path forward. We’re proud to support Women’s Health Collective Canada in raising awareness and helping move evidence‑based solutions into action, for the benefit of women, their families, and communities across the country.
Chantal GagnéPresident and Chief Operating Officer, Desjardins Financial Security
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