By Ian Patton, Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement, Obesity Canada
Let’s be real—recognizing obesity as a chronic disease shouldn’t be groundbreaking news in 2025. But here we are.
This week, Alberta’s Minister of Health, Adriana LaGrange, officially declared March 4 as World Obesity Day in Alberta, recognizing obesity as a chronic disease that deserves proper treatment and support. It’s a big deal because, for far too long, obesity has been misunderstood, dismissed, and flat-out ignored by our healthcare system and policymakers.
Shortly after Obesity Canada published the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline in 2020, I wrote a piece stating “there is no longer a debate, obesity is a disease”. The debate at that time centered on people conflating obesity with an individual’s size/weight. Weight is not a disease, humans come in many sizes and shapes, an individual’s weight does not dictate their health, simply having a higher weight is not an illness.
In the CPG we redefined obesity as a complex, progressive, relapsing chronic disease where excess or abnormal adipose tissue impairs health, and by doing so made the distinction between simple size/weight and the disease obesity. Every major scientific expert organization in the field along with the WHO, Canadian Medical Association, and provincial medical associations recognize obesity as a chronic disease. Despite this global shift in narrative, health systems have been dragging their feet.
Just last week, the Minister of Health in Quebec reiterated that “Quebec does not recognize obesity as a disease”, a sad reminder of how much work is still to be done. In my head, governance and policy should not be as difficult as it seems to be – all policy, especially related to health, should be rooted in evidence. As a policy maker, you need to be able to rationally justify your decisions and policy. Knowing what we know, a Minister of Health stating obesity is not a disease is akin to a Minister of Environment stating that climate change is not real – a statement that should not be accepted and met with firm push-back.
In my time as an advocate, the hesitation to recognize obesity as a disease from the health system and policy maker level, has not been for a lack of understanding of the science, they get it, rather, the fear of being responsible for doing something about it seems to be the major hang up. If they recognize it as a disease, then they need to do something different about it. They would need to treat it like they do other chronic diseases, and for a long time, there were not many effective options for disease management of obesity, making it an unpopular policy to focus on. Luckily now we know what to do, we have effective treatment guidelines, we just need to implement them appropriately.
A step in the right direction—but not the finish line
I’ll give credit where it’s due. Alberta is leading the way by formally acknowledging what science has been saying for decades—obesity is not a lifestyle choice. It is a complex, chronic disease influenced by genetics, biology, and environment. And just like any other chronic disease—diabetes, heart disease, or cancer—it requires medical treatment and support.
Minister LaGrange put it simply:
“I commend Obesity Canada for it’s dedicated efforts to support patients and their families. It is my hope that increased awareness of this disease can help reduce stigma and weight bias for Albertans.”
Great. But now what?
Recognition is important, but it’s not enough. We need innovative policies, programs, and healthcare solutions that actually help people living with obesity—not just a pat on the back for acknowledging the problem. We need to recognize that effective obesity management is critical to treatment and prevention of more than 200 downstream conditions. If we truly want the healthiest Canada, and a strong, resilient healthcare system, it will require the courage to pull our heads out of the sand and face this problem head-on with evidence-informed solutions rather than harmful, outdated, and woefully ignorant narratives in diet culture.
The cost of ignoring obesity
Let’s talk numbers. The Cost of Inaction report lays it out in black and white—if we don’t start treating obesity properly, the human and economic costs will be impossible to ignore – more than $27 Billion annually in direct and indirect costs is attributable to the lack of action in obesity management.
- Millions of Canadians live with obesity and obesity-related health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and mental health disorders.
- Our healthcare system is already overwhelmed, and failing to address obesity will only make things worse.
- We have effective treatments—but they’re out of reach for most people because they aren’t covered by public or private health plans, or there are unacceptable wait times.
We can’t afford to keep waiting.
Time for Canada to step up
On the global stage, Canada is viewed as a leader in this space. We are home to many of the world’s leading experts in obesity, so much so, that our Clinical Practice Guideline is being adopted and adapted globally. We should take pride in that, but we should also be embarrassed that we have not yet utilized that resource and expertise effectively here at home. Part of the challenge is that thirteen very different provincial and territorial governments are responsible for healthcare, and change is slow.
Alberta has set the stage—now it’s time for the rest of Canada to step up and take action.
We need:
- ✅ Obesity care integrated into primary healthcare. Patients should be able to talk to their doctors about obesity like they would any other chronic disease.
- ✅ Stigma-free access to the three pillars of effective, evidence-based treatment. No more outdated policies that prevent people from getting evidence-based care.
- ✅ Public and private coverage for obesity treatment. People shouldn’t have to fight to access medications and treatments that could change (or save) their lives.
The science is clear. Solutions exist. The only thing missing is action.
Join us – The time for change is now
March 4 is World Obesity Day, and we’re calling on all Canadians—patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers—to push for real change.
- Educate yourself on The Cost of Inaction report and what it means for our healthcare system, our economy, and our fellow Canadians.
- Advocate for policy change—Sign this petition to recognize obesity as a chronic disease, and take it one step further with a few clicks join our campaign by writing your representatives and demand better care.
- Join the conversation—share your story, raise awareness, and help fight the stigma.
Let’s turn this recognition into real action. Because people living with obesity deserve better.
