Never Mind Taxes.Who Will Fight Cancer?

 An invitation from the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada (CACC) to all Federal Party Leaders:

“Leaders, can you pass the cancer test?”

Last year, 129,000 Canadians were diagnosed with cancer. More than 63,000 died of the disease. Today, one in three Canadians will be diagnosed. In ten years, we will have twice as many cancer patients as we have today. It’s time to push this terrible reality to the top of the politicians’ agenda. That’s why the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada is urging federal party leaders in this election to take our test. We will publicly report the leaders’ answers on November 25, to ensure you can cast an informed vote on who can best confront Canada’s Number One health problem.

Question 1
If elected, how would your government eliminate delays in cancer treatment, enforce clear national standards for care, enhance participation in experimental treatment studies and stop sending Canadians out of the country?
The Issue: Getting Cancer Care. Patchwork provincial efforts to deal with waiting times for radiation therapy and surgery and the scarcity of cancer specialists have failed Canadians. In some parts of Canada, less than one half of patients receive treatment within the recommended guidelines, and in the last 18 months, more than 2,700 patients were sent out of the country for care. Worse still, fewer than 10 per cent of adults with cancer participate in clinical studies that can significantly improve their chances of surviving. Ottawa must assume a strong central role to ensure all Canadians have timely, consistent access to diagnosis, care and treatment, including experimental treatment studies.

Question 2 
How would your government ensure that the 180-day approval time is met, and work to eliminate existing delays in timely access to new drugs and new drug studies at the national and provincial levels? 
The Issue: Drug Approval Times. New advances in chemotherapy reduce suffering and death from cancer. Canada has a Priority Drug Approval Process of 180 days to ensure new cancer treatments are not delayed. Yet the average approval time is more than 500 days -- three times longer than in Europe or the U.S. Result: Affluent Canadians are leaving the country because they can't afford to wait for cancer care!

 Question 3
If elected, how would your government ensure cancer survivors gain a direct role in policy decisions, while making cancer care accountable to the people it serves?The Issue: Patient Power. Cancer care and treatment must be centred on individual patient needs. People with cancer have the greatest stake in the fight against cancer – but the smallest voice. Citizens must have a stronger role in public policy decision-making about the disease.

Question 4
If elected, would your government commit to a $3 billion increase in research funding? 
The Issue: Research. Canada spends $5 (CDN) per citizen on cancer research, compared with $8 (US) in the United States. Ottawa must increase this investment by $3 billion over four years—or Canada will drop even further behind in the world-wide fight against this disease.