By CARLEEN PAULIUK, Vice President of Western Canada, Arthritis Society Canada
Diana had lived with constant, undiagnosed pain since her teenage years. While pregnant with her first child, the pain became unbearable. “My body felt like it was burning. I couldn’t get out of bed or walk to the bathroom. I could only move my neck. I worried about how I would care for my baby,” she recalls.
She assumed the pain would pass once her baby arrived. But it didn’t. At just 33, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
Nearly two decades later, Diana is a successful executive and mother of two, but her journey hasn’t been easy. “People see me on my best days,” she says. “They don’t see the flare-ups, the days when I can’t leave my house, or even my office, because the pain is that debilitating.”
Arthritis reshaped Diana’s life, professionally and personally. She manages a demanding role and is open about her condition at work, but says few truly grasp what she experiences.
Diana’s story is one I hear too often.
The reality we overlook
Arthritis is Canada’s number one cause of disability, affecting people at the peak of their careers – in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, when they are raising families and contributing most to our communities and economy.
The numbers tell a sobering story — and behind them are real people, living with pain they can’t always show.
Most Canadians have no idea what’s really holding our workforce back. According to a new report from Arthritis Society Canada and Leger Healthcare, Arthritis:
The Silent Drain on Canada’s Economy, only 4 per cent recognize that arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability. Meanwhile, the disease affects one in four women and one in six men, costing our country over $33 billion annually in lost productivity and healthcare expenses. Even more concerning, those costs are projected to climb sharply as the number of people with arthritis is expected to rise 50 per cent by 2045.
Across every industry, arthritis is draining our workforce – it does not discriminate. From executives like Diana to construction workers, healthcare workers and service staff, arthritis is stealing productivity and potential every day.
These losses are not just dollars on a balance sheet. They’re missed workdays, stalled careers, and families struggling to make ends meet while managing constant pain. Yet among employed Canadians with arthritis, only a quarter receive workplace accommodations, and two-thirds say their employers don’t provide enough support. Too many are left to suffer quietly, hiding their symptoms, pushing through the pain, or stepping away from jobs they love because they have no other choice.
British Columbia’s warning light
In British Columbia, the strain is increasingly evident. The province’s fast-growing and diverse workforce includes people in essential roles across healthcare, education, construction, hospitality, and public service — the sectors that keep communities running. When arthritis forces someone to step back from work, those gaps ripple across entire systems.
Long waits for joint surgeries make it worse — with only 55 per cent of knee replacements and 63 per cent of hip replacements meeting the six-month benchmark — leave many waiting in pain, unable to work or pushed into early retirement.
These challenges erode both quality of life and economic potential. This is not just a healthcare issue. It’s a workforce issue, a competitiveness issue, and ultimately, an economic issue.
An urgent conversation
We often hear of external pressures like tariffs, trade wars, or a slowing global economy, but one of our greatest vulnerabilities is right here at home — the health of our workforce. And yet, this conversation rarely breaks into mainstream economic or political discussions.
If we want a resilient, productive Canada, we must reduce the preventable losses caused by our most common chronic disease.
That means governments and employers must act together. By strengthening policies, improving access to treatment and rehabilitation, and creating flexible benefits that reflect the realities of long-term illness, we can help more people living with the debilitating effects of arthritis stay in the workforce.
Accessibility can no longer be optional. Inclusive workplaces require intentional design — flexible policies, adaptive tools, and a culture where health disclosure isn’t met with stigma. Supporting people with arthritis isn’t charity; it’s good business.
Choose action now
Arthritis is one of Canada’s most overlooked threats. But it’s one we can fix. Through sufficient investment in research, policy, and programs supporting people living with its agonizing reality, we can keep Canadians healthy, employed, and thriving.
The path forward is clear: invest in solutions now or pay the price later. Let’s choose a future where pain doesn’t limit potential.
To make a difference, contact Carleen Pauliuk, Vice-President, Arthritis Society Canada, at cpauliuk@arthritis.ca
