C-284National Strategy for Eye Care Act
An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care
Private member's bill, introduced in the House of Commons on June 14, 2022
- Status
- Became law on November 7, 2024 · S.C. 2024, c. 28
What it does
Creates a federal strategy for eye care and designates February as Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month.
What it does
- Requires the Health Minister to develop a national strategy for preventing and treating eye disease, and for vision rehabilitation, after consulting provinces, Indigenous groups and other stakeholders.
- Says the strategy must describe different forms of eye disease and may cover training needs, research, data collection, and sharing information between governments.
- Allows the strategy to include a way to rapidly examine certain drug and device applications under the Food and Drugs Act for eye diseases.
- Requires the minister to hold at least one conference while developing the strategy.
- Requires a report on the strategy within 18 months, and a follow-up report on its effectiveness and the state of eye disease prevention and treatment within five years after the first report is tabled.
- Declares February to be Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month across Canada.
Who it affects
- People with eye disease
- People who need vision rehabilitation
- Eye care professionals
- Provincial governments
- Indigenous groups
- Drug and device applicants
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Completed.
Third reading
Completed.
Senate
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Third reading
Completed.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Completed.
Introduced by an MP who is not a minister. These bills compete in a lottery for debate time, and most do not become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care
Vote 431,
Passed
324 yeato0 nay · 6 paired
Party breakdown for vote 431 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Yea 153 0 5 Conservative Yea 116 0 1 Bloc Yea 30 0 2 NDP Yea 22 0 3 Green Yea 1 0 1 Independent Yea 2 0 1 Total 324 0 2nd reading of Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care
Vote 353,
Passed
324 yeato0 nay · 2 paired
Party breakdown for vote 353 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Yea 149 0 7 Conservative Yea 115 0 0 Bloc Yea 31 0 1 NDP Yea 24 0 1 Green Yea 2 0 0 Independent Yea 3 0 0 Total 324 0
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalJudy Sgro· June 14, 2022
“Moved for leave to introduce Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care. I am very happy today to have the opportunity to introduce this bill calling for a national strategy on eye care, something that, for many years, Canadians have been calling for, and something that the government has promised many times before that.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeKaren Vecchio· April 28, 2023
“It was noted here in this bill: “promote research and improve data collection on eye disease prevention and treatment”.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocJean-Denis Garon· April 28, 2023
“I thank my colleague, the hon. member for Humber River—Black Creek, for introducing this bill. Let me begin by saying that vision health is important.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPJenny Kwan· April 28, 2023
“Before I begin my speech on the bill today, I want to take a moment to recognize today as the National Day of Mourning, to honour every worker who goes to work, and to say very clearly that they deserve to return home safely at the end of their workday.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: Royal assent received. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.