Week of December 04 – December 08, 2021

We have all been touched by cancer; whether it be a relative, a friend, or a colleague that has been diagnosed with this terrible disease. It strikes without warning and does not discriminate based on age, sex, income, or race. It takes parents from children and children from parents. The unfortunate reality is that in 2006 alone, approximately 150,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer and another 70,000 will succumb to it. Our new Government has developed a battle plan to help save Canadian lives and I would like to share the details of this plan with you.

On November 24, 2006, Prime Minister Harper, together with the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, the Honourable Michael Fortier, and the Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, Tony Clement, introduced the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The purpose of this not-for-profit corporation will be to implement the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, which is a five-year plan developed by more than 700 cancer survivors and experts.

The Partnership will serve as a clearing house for state-of-the-art information about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Its aim will be to ensure that the best cancer care practices in any single part of Canada are known and shared with health care providers in every part of Canada. Moreover, the Partnership will operate at arm’s length from the Government. Its Board of Directors will be composed of representatives from cancer stakeholder organizations including: the provinces and territories, patient, family, and survivor groups, as well as Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and the Federal Government.

The goals of the Partnership are nothing less than preventing cancer altogether, the early detection of cancers when they’re most treatable, and the enhancement of support and treatment services, to improve the quality of life of those suffering from the disease. However, the Partnership also recognizes that health care falls within provincial jurisdiction and the new agency will play no role in the administration of health policy or programs. The job of the agency is simply to ensure that the best cancer care practices in any single part of Canada are known and available to health care providers in every part of Canada. Our new Government committed $260 million to this life-saving strategy in Budget 2006.

This initiative marks the first coordinated and comprehensive approach to cancer control in our country. In addition, the strategy could pre-empt 1.2 million new cases of cancer and prevent 423,000 cancer deaths over the next 30 years. By working together with medical researchers and medical practitioners across Canada and around the world, we can and will win this fight.