Standing on guard for the profession
and pharmacy in Canada
A message from the Chair & CEO
It’s clear that 2025 was a year full of major change and growing uncertainty, both in Canada and around the world. From economic pressures and turbulent global trade relationships to a federal election here at home, the landscape has been unpredictable and fast-moving.
Through it all, CPhA has been there for Canadian pharmacy—defending patient care, enhancing access and representing the profession on national and international stages.
We’ve taken a stand in the pharmacy benefits space, helped pharmacy navigate the ongoing threat of U.S. tariffs and pushed for stronger recognition and support from government.
We’ve also focused on what helps pharmacists thrive, investing in Canadian-made resources that strengthen practice and support learning, like our new CPhA Learning platform and the continued expansion and evolution of CPS, Canada’s trusted, homegrown, clinical reference.
In a year when global pressures tested our health-care system, pharmacists stood strong and CPhA stood with them. Together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient Canadian pharmacy profession—ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Take a look at our Year in Review to see how we’ve been standing on guard for you, for pharmacy and for Canadians in 2025.
Annette Robinson
Chair
Glen Doucet
CEO
Stronger advocacy for Canadian pharmacy
Taking on PBM & insurer reform
CPhA’s extensive advocacy efforts led to a Competition Bureau investigation into Express Scripts Canada and the release of template legislation to help governments address PBM and insurer practices threatening patient choice and pharmacist autonomy.
Navigating U.S. tariffs
We coordinated with government and pharmacy networks to monitor proposed U.S. drug tariffs, hosted national webinars and worked with industry and government partners to ensure pharmacists’ concerns shaped federal planning.
Speaking up for pharmacy
We called on Ottawa to strengthen drug shortage preparedness and appeared before the health committee to discuss international pharmacy graduates. We also actively participated in consultations on an essential medicines list, proposed bulk purchasing strategy and preferred provider networks.
READ ALL ABOUT IT: A closer look at how CPhA’s advocacy spurred the Competition Bureau investigation into Express Scripts Canada
Securing Canada’s drug supply
Supporting pharmacists with clinical resources
Our clinical team published bilingual guidance and resources to help pharmacy teams manage critical drug shortages, including acetaminophen with oxycodone, spironolactone and ipratropium.
Representing pharmacists at Health Canada tables
CPhA sits on several Health Canada committees, including the Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee and Tier Assignment Committee, and worked throughout the year to represent pharmacy and support our national response to major drug shortages.
Collecting frontline data to inform decisions
We conducted monthly pharmacy surveys to track real-time impacts of U.S. tariff threats, providing critical data to Health Canada and media. We also surveyed Canadians and used that data to prepare pharmacies for potential shifts in patient behaviour.
READ ALL ABOUT IT: How CPhA helps our system respond to drug shortages in Canada
Advancing Canadian pharmacy practice
Defining pharmacy’s future with the National Benchmark
On World Pharmacists Day we released the National Benchmark for Pharmacy Practice, a first-of-its-kind document that outlines the full scope of services pharmacists are educated to provide. This document is the foundation of our two-part campaign to empower pharmacists, which will continue with the public launch of the Pharmacists CAN campaign.
Pharmacy leadership on the world stage
CPhA staff and board members represented Canada at the 2025 FIP World Congress in Copenhagen, signing the Copenhagen Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance and accepting the FIP flag as host nation for 2026.
Building Canadian knowledge and professional capacity
Strengthening CPS, Canada’s trusted clinical resource
Our evidence-based, homegrown clinical resource continued to evolve in 2025. In addition to new chapters on Gender-Affirming Care and RSV, our team completed major updates in influenza, diabetes and dermatology and developed a series of new patient infographics. We also transitioned to a new version of CPS, with an improved interface and enhanced features compatible across all devices and re-launched the CPS mobile app to ensure you have access to CPS anytime, anywhere. Keep track of what’s new with CPS News and Updates.
Powering professional growth with CPhA Learning
To support ongoing professional development for pharmacists, we launched CPhA Learning early this year. Featuring live webinars, videos and comprehensive self-paced courses, the new platform already includes a range of evidence-based courses on topics such as deprescribing, point-of-care testing, pain management and immunization.
Expanding the reach of Canadian pharmacy research with CPJ
In 2025 Canadian Pharmacists Journal released the new Hypertension Canada guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in adults in primary care, and highlighted ongoing challenges to expanded scope that are increasing pharmacist stress. We were also thrilled to announce that starting in 2026 CPJ will published in Canada by the University of Toronto Press and will move to a full open access format.
Supporting IPGs
Designed to help internationally educated pharmacists transition into the Canadian workforce, our IPG Mentorship and Integration Project continued to grow. This year we supported hundreds of IPGs through mentorship and learning activities, launched the IPG Integration Training for pharmacy teams and continued providing valuable paid work placement opportunities in pharmacies across Canada.
Developing practice tools to support pharmacists in every situation
CPhA supports pharmacy teams during their everyday tasks and also in times of crisis. This year we created new tools to support patient care during wildfire evacuations and measles outbreaks, and provided evidence-based information on acetaminophen use in pregnancy.
Championing equity and inclusion
Advancing equitable care
Building on our Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) toolkit, CPhA secured federal funding to develop two new SRH toolkits—one with IPPC to guide culturally safe care for Indigenous women and Two-Spirit individuals and one with CART-UBC to support pharmacists in delivering gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary individuals.
Supporting Indigenous leadership
In partnership with IPPC, we celebrated the 2025-2026 Indigenous Pharmacy Scholarship recipients, supporting the next generation of Indigenous leaders in pharmacy and advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Call to Action #23 to Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the health-care field.
Fostering safe spaces
With articles and research published throughout the year, and the editorial "The role of pharmacists in ensuring health equity," included in the September/October issue, CPJ showed colleagues around the world that CPJ is a safe place to publish their DEI-related research.
Helping Canadian pharmacy navigate the future
Summit on Disruption
In June we hosted Pharmacy Disruptors 2030, a national summit bringing together pharmacy, tech, and policy leaders to explore AI, new care models, and the digital future of pharmacy. Designed to challenge conventional thinking and inspire new ideas, this session and the lessons learned will help prepare pharmacy for the next decade of change.
Celebrating pharmacy leaders
During Pharmacy Appreciation Month we recognized Dr. Debbie Kelly as our 2025 Canadian Pharmacist of the Year, celebrating her contributions to equity and patient care. Dr. Kelly and our full complement of 2025 award winners represent both the present and future of innovation in pharmacy leadership.
Looking ahead
FIP World Congress is coming to Canada!
The 84th FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is coming to Montreal, August 30–September 2, 2026. This global gathering will bring together pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, educators, and health leaders from around the world, to advance pharmacy’s role in patient-centred care and global health. Under the theme, “One Health, One Pharmacy – Bridging science, practice and education,” discussions will examine how pharmacists can drive progress towards better health outcomes, equitable access to essential medicines and resilient health systems worldwide.
Thank you to our partners
CPhA is grateful for the ongoing and continuous support of our partners and stakeholders. We thank you for your partnership and your dedication to the profession of pharmacy.
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