Cancer Day of Action

On May 14, 2008, we took part in the first annual Day of Action at the Ontario Legislature. Our goal was to lend a voice in advising the provincial government on the implementation of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, launched by the federal government in 2006.

As part of this initiative, we stressed the importance of PSA funding for Ontarian men over 50 in our conversations with MPPs. PSA funding has been pledged by the Ontario Liberals as part of their three-year, $154 million investment in cancer screening, but a timeline for implementation has yet to be established.

We also addressed the need for increased public investments into prostate cancer research, which fall behind investments into other site-specific cancers.

Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control

In his 2006 presentation of the federal Conservative budget, Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced an investment of $52 million per year for the next five years as part of the government’s Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control.

On November 24, 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and federal Health Minister Tony Clement announced the establishment of a not-for-profit agency to oversee the initiative. Called the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the agency will operate at arms-length from the government but will report to the federal Health Ministry annually.

Although cancer research has come a long way, many important findings are not put into practice across the board. In short, we could be doing a much better job of preventing and treating cancer. The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer aims to correct the situation by: 

• funding new research into prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cures
• better applying the knowledge we already have to prevention, early detection and treatment
• building a more sustainable health system by coordinating efforts with provinces and cancer care advocacy groups
• The Campaign to Control Cancer has been involved in advising and implementing this initiative since its inception. As a part of the Campaign to Control Cancer, the Foundation looks forward to working with the new agency and creating a better future for men with prostate cancer.