Author: James Rajotte, M.P. (Edmonton-Leduc)
Chair, House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science, and Technology

Cancer is the biggest health challenge we currently face as Canadians. Over the next 30 years, between 5.2 million and 6.6 million Canadians will develop cancer. Cancer takes the lives of more people in Canada than strokes, respiratory disease, pneumonia, diabetes, liver diseases and HIV/AIDS combined.

Every family in Canada has had to deal with the negative and often tragic effects of cancer, including mine.

Unfortunately, Canada has fallen behind other developed countries in meeting this growing cancer challenge. A planned and deliberate organization of the limited human and economic resources needed to control cancer is urgently needed to respond.

In response, the Canadian government has just announced the establishment of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The purpose of this not-for-profit corporation will be to implement the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, a five-year plan developed by more than 700 cancer survivors and experts.

This organization will serve as a clearing house for state-of-the-art information about preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer. Its job is to make sure 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. Experts are predicting the strategy could pre-empt 1.2 million new cases of cancer and prevent 423,000 cancer deaths over the next 30 years.

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer will operate at arm’s length from government. Its board of directors will comprise representatives from cancer stakeholder organizations; the provinces and territories; patient, family and survivor groups; Canada’s Aboriginal peoples; and the federal government.

The new body will be responsible for implementing the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, whose objectives are to reduce the number of new cases of cancer among Canadians, enhance the quality of life of those living with cancer, and lessen the likelihood of Canadians dying from cancer. Our government committed $260 million to this life-saving strategy in Budget 2006.

Jeffrey Lozon, the president and CEO of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, will serve as the chair of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, the president and CEO of the BC Cancer Agency, will serve as its vice chair.

If you would like more information about the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, please visit http://209.217.127.72/ or call (613) 941-2296.

And if you have any questions or comments for me, please do not hesitate to contact my office at www.jamesrajotte.com.