Canada's Chief Public Health Officer warns that the life expectancy of Canadians may be lowering.
In her report on the state of public health in Canada, Dr. Theresa Tam warns that with over 8000 opioid related deaths since 2016, the national life expectancy may be decreasing for the first time in decades.
Tam writes, "On the whole, life expectancy has been steadily increasing in Canada over many years and it is comparable to other high income countries. Alarmingly, this is expected to change. For the first time in recent decades, life expectancy in British Columbia is decreasing, due to harms associated with opioid overdoses. While data are not available at the national level, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is analyzing the impact of the opioid overdose crisis on overall life expectancy."
The last time Canada's life expectancy was assessed was in 2015. Reports show Canadian men lived to an average of 80 while the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's average was 78. Canadian women were expected to live until of average of 84 years, while the ORCD average was 83.