OTTAWA, ON, May 6, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced that Health Canada has launched a new voluntary registry that allows patients, healthcare professionals, and others to receive direct alerts about breast implant recalls and safety issues.

Health Canada is communicating with health professionals and relevant associations to help inform patients about the new voluntary registry related to breast implant recalls, supporting patient health and safety and informed decision–making.

These notifications support informed decision-making and strengthen patient safety by providing subscribers with a direct, trusted source of information. Canadians can now sign up to receive breast implant recalls and safety updates by subscribing to updates directly from Health Canada.

Health Canada monitors the safety of medical devices, including breast implants, through mandatory incident reporting by manufacturers and public hospitals, voluntary reports from healthcare professionals and the public. Manufacturers must also report serious risks identified in certain other countries.

When a breast implant recall occurs, manufacturers must notify healthcare facilities that use their products, and those facilities then determine how to communicate this information to affected patients.  

This new subscription complements Health Canada's existing broader email subscription service for breast implants, which includes other safety information in addition to recall alerts.

Learn more about breast implants: Breast implants: Overview - Canada.ca

A printable poster is available for health professionals to display in their offices to help inform patients.

Quotes

"Canadians deserve clear and timely information about their medical devices, including breast implants. This new voluntary registry service puts important safety information directly into the hands of patients and health practitioners, supporting informed decisions and reinforcing our commitment to patient safety."

The Honourable Marjorie Michel
Minister of Health

"Following the broadcast of our documentary Inoffensifs, mes implants? (Are My Implants Safe?), the Minister of Health and her team responded quickly to move forward on this issue in order to better protect women. We welcome this first step and thank them for it."

Julie Snyder
Producer, Presenter, Founder and President of Productions J

"I am delighted that a registry dedicated to breast implants is being established. This is a significant step forward that marks the beginning of a collective record for the benefit of patients. An implant registry is not merely about compiling information. It pools experiences, transforms every procedure into a source of knowledge, and enables us to learn, prevent complications and provide better care.

As it remains non-mandatory, it is now up to the Collège des médecins du Québec, as well as its counterparts across Canada, to make it a requirement in order to ensure full and fair traceability.

I want to thank the Minister, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, MP Luc Thériault, and all the women who have actively contributed to achieving this milestone. For at the heart of this initiative lies a fundamental question, one that can only be answered through rigorous and collective research: 'Are breast implants safe?'"

Dr Isabelle Gaston
General practitioner

Quick Facts:

• In 2025, more than 7 million people visited the Government of Canada's Recalls and Safety Alerts website, reflecting strong public engagement with safety information.
• Each year, up to 2,000 recalls and safety alerts are published on the website, covering a wide range of food, consumer, and health products.
• Since 2015, there have been 14 recalls and safety alerts related to breast implants.
• More than 130,000 people are subscribed to receive recall notifications, and in 2025 alone, the system issued over 30 million emails to keep Canadians informed.

SOURCE Health Canada (HC)