On election day, make your voice count. #Vote4Arthritis
The general election in Newfoundland and Labrador is scheduled for October 14, 2025. ACE is asking Newfoundland and Labrador parties and candidates how, if elected, they will improve the timely access to arthritis treatment and care.
135,000 voters with arthritis demand action
Arthritis is Newfoundland and Labrador’s most common chronic disease and affects more people than heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and dementia combined. Out of the more than 135,000 voters living with arthritis in Newfoundland and Labrador, two-thirds are under the age of 65. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability and drives most joint replacement and emergency visits in Newfoundland and Labrador. Rural residents, Indigenous Peoples, Black communities, women, and racialized communities can face the highest burden but the least access to care.
Health care is one of the most important issues for Newfoundland and Labrador voters leading up to the provincial election. The way people living with arthritis access and receive health care varies significantly across the province, particularly in rural and remote communities. Another barrier is timely access to specialized care for residents living with osteoarthritis. Over 99 per cent of knee replacements and more than 70 per cent of hip replacements are caused by arthritis. In Newfoundland and Labrador in 2024, only 33% of knee replacement patients and 41% of hip replacement patients were treated within the medically recommended guideline.
The time to arthritis prevention, treatment, and care is now after years of being at the back of the line of health care planning and delivery in Newfoundland and Labrador. That’s why it is important for you as a Newfoundland and Labrador voter to make your voice heard.
To help you with your decision, Arthritis Consumer Experts is asking political parties and the candidates running for office to share their perspectives on how to meet the needs of Newfoundland and Labrador residents living with arthritis:
- Reducing surgery wait times: Will your government ensure that hip and knee joint replacement patients in Newfoundland and Labrador are treated within the Canadian Institute for Health Information guideline of 26 weeks?
- Modernizing the Drug Program: Will your government remove outdated barriers that delay patient access to biologic and tsDMARD therapies, and modernize the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program?
- Closing the gaps in Indigenous arthritis care: Will your government ensure Indigenous Peoples with arthritis have access to culturally safe, community-based care models to close existing gaps and improve outcomes?
- Reinvesting biosimilars savings: Will your government commit to reinvesting biosimilar savings to new medicines and expanding coverage for existing medicines for people with inflammatory arthritis?
- Expanding virtual care: Will your government ensure the continuation, improvement, and expansion of virtual care for Newfoundland and Labrador residents – both patients and health care professionals – and ensure access is equitable to all?
Arthritis Consumer Experts looks forward to sharing responses as we receive them with the 135,000 voters and their families and employers in Newfoundland and Labrador affected by arthritis on ACE’s Newfoundland and Labrador election homepage.
If you have comments, questions, or concerns about any of the answers provided, please plan to attend a public forum or debate to hear from the candidates.
On October 14, 2025, your vote can help change arthritis: #Vote4Arthritis.
For more information on how to vote, please visit Elections Newfoundland & Labrador to find out your options, including voting on election day, at your assigned poll, on Advance voting day, by Special Ballot, or by Vote-By-Mail kit using an online Special Ballot Portal.