Recognize and include lipedema

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to formally recognize lipedema, include it in the National Women’s Health Strategy (Bill S‑243), and support national clinical guidance, education, data collection and coordinated provincial collaboration.

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

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Lipedema is a chronic, progressive adipose and connective tissue disease that almost exclusively affects women; An estimated 2.2 million women in Canada are living with lipedema, many without diagnosis, treatment, or clinical support; Systemic gaps in Canada’s healthcare system have resulted in limited physician education, lack of diagnostic pathways, and absence of standardized care for people living with lipedema; The lack of recognition and resourcing for lipedema represents a significant inequity in healthcare; Bill S-243, An Act to Establish a National Strategy for Women’s Health, highlights the federal government’s role in addressing systemic inequities in women’s health and ensuring accountability at the national level; and While the Province of Manitoba has committed to establishing a provincial Lipedema Awareness Day beginning in 2026, there remains no federal recognition of lipedema or coordinated national response. We, the undersigned, residents of Canada,, call upon the Government of Canada to - Formally recognize lipedema as a distinct and serious women’s health condition at the federal level; - Include lipedema within the scope of the National Women’s Health Strategy contemplated under Bill S-243; - Support the development of national clinical guidance, education, and data collection related to lipedema; - Work collaboratively with provinces, territories, clinicians, and patient organizations, including Lipedema Canada, to address the systemic gaps in diagnosis, care, and support for people living with lipedema; and - Take all necessary measures to give effect to these requests.

Government response

No government response is available yet.