Long COVID inquiry and standards

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to hold a national inquiry and set national standards and care pathways for long COVID and post‑vaccine injuries. The government responds it funded guidance, research and administers the VIAP.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Many Canadians suffer from long COVID, post-vaccine injuries, and related conditions without adequate medical support, recognition, or access to care; There are significant gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and research, leaving individuals without proper assistance; Long COVID and related conditions can severely impair the ability to work, maintain financial stability, and participate in daily life; and Current federal programs do not sufficiently address the needs of Canadians whose lives have been permanently altered by these health challenges. We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to 1. Hold a national inquiry into Canada’s pandemic response, focusing on the long-term effects of long COVID and post-vaccine injuries and their impact on individuals, families, and daily life; 2. Develop national standards for diagnosis, care pathways, and clinical guidelines to ensure access to: proper medical care beyond symptom management, disability support that meets actual needs, mental health counseling, financial assistance for treatments and daily living expenses, increase public awareness of long COVID as a debilitating condition to prevent dismissal and stigmatization, support families and caregivers, recognizing that caring for someone with long COVID affects their health, financial stability, and ability to work or participate fully in family life; and 3. Note that current disability, medical, and financial support programs are insufficient and many long COVID patients spend hundreds of dollars monthly on essential treatments just to maintain basic mobility and daily function. 1. Hold a national inquiry into Canada’s pandemic response, focusing on the long-term effects of long COVID and post-vaccine injuries and their impact on individuals, families, and daily life; 2. Develop national standards for diagnosis, care pathways, and clinical guidelines to ensure access to: proper medical care beyond symptom management, disability support that meets actual needs, mental health counseling, financial assistance for treatments and daily living expenses, increase public awareness of long COVID as a debilitating condition to prevent dismissal and stigmatization, support families and caregivers, recognizing that caring for someone with long COVID affects their health, financial stability, and ability to work or participate fully in family life; and 3. Note that current disability, medical, and financial support programs are insufficient and many long COVID patients spend hundreds of dollars monthly on essential treatments just to maintain basic mobility and daily function.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Health Signed by Maggie Chi The Government of Canada understands that many Canadians face challenges living with long COVID (also known as Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC)) and other related conditions that impair their ability to work, maintain financial stability, and participate in daily life. This is why the Government of Canada allocated $9M over three years to support the development and promotion of national clinical guidance to inform care and treatment. These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for the assessment, management, and treatment of PCC and are available at canpcc.ca. Further information and resources are available on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website. Additionally, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the government is funding a broad array of PCC research at universities, hospitals and other research institutions across Canada — from biomedical studies to enhance our understanding of long COVID, to living reviews that support the dissemination of emerging evidence, to clinical trials for potential new treatments and interventions. Continued research is critical to building the evidence base on PCC and improving awareness, medical education and care. To further accelerate research, the federal government allocated $20 million over five years, starting in 2023, for CIHR to establish the Long COVID Web — a dedicated pan-Canadian PCC research network. This network brings together hundreds of researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals, people with living and lived experience, and others to advance and coordinate research, build capacity, and improve care, including addressing health services gaps. The Long COVID Web is also fostering knowledge mobilization, exchange and awareness, including evidence-based resources for health professionals and Canadians, and the annual Canadian Symposium on Long COVID. Through CIHR the government also is investing in clinical trials to explore treatment avenues for long COVID and continues to fund new long COVID research through its investigator-led (“open”) research competitions. For example, in early 2026, CIHR awarded a grant to a team led by Dr. Shokrollah Elahi (University of Alberta), who are studying immune system changes in long COVID to better understand why women are more likely to be affected, and how it can be prevented or treated. A complete list of CIHR-funded projects is available on CIHR’s Funding Decisions Database. While vaccination is one of the best ways to protect people in Canada from serious infectious diseases, side effects may occur, with serious and permanent injuries from vaccines being rare, such injuries nonetheless exist. On April 1, 2026, the Government of Canada took over management of the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program (VIAP), the national compensation and support program for people in Canada who have been assessed as having been seriously and permanently injured as a result of receiving a Health Canada-authorized vaccine administered in Canada on or after December 8, 2020. Under the VIAP, applicants are not required to prove that anyone was negligent or responsible in order to be considered for financial support. Medical experts review applications to determine whether a vaccine likely caused an injury. Eligibility for financial supports is based on the severity of the injury and its long-term impact on daily life. The VIAP provides financial support in the following categories: Vaccine injury indemnity (one-time lump sum payment); Income support (on-going monthly income replacement payments); Treatment and rehabilitation expenses (reimbursement for eligible medical and rehabilitation expenses not covered by other insurance or benefits); and Death benefits (one-time lump sum payment for beneficiaries, including a one-time lump sum payment for funeral support). The Government of Canada remains committed to maintaining high standards for monitoring vaccine safety and effectiveness and will continue to review emerging evidence related to long COVID, post-vaccine injuries, and other related conditions. Continued collaboration with provinces and territories will help ensure that all Canadians have access to available programs that support their health, safety, and well-being.