You may not have heard anything about it on the news, but on June 7th, the House of Commons voted on an important health care motion. The motion (sponsored by Conservative MP Steven Fletcher) called for Canada to have a national strategy for fighting cancer. As one of the MPs who spoke on this issue, I would like to share with you what the Conservative Party was trying to accomplish.

The Council of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, a group of 700 cancer experts and cancer survivors, brought together a well thought out plan to organize resources to fight cancer. Similar plans have been implemented in Austria, Finland and other European countries with great success. Fewer people developed cancer. Treatments improved and the number of deaths due to cancer dropped. Ireland saw a 10% reduction in cancer deaths, for example.

Having seen this data and the plan put together by the Council of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, it was obvious that a national strategy to coordinate the fight against cancer only made sense (especially since other countries have proved the concept works).

We have all contributed to cancer walks, marathons and Terry Fox appeals. Therefore, a strategy which focuses resources and concentrates on outcomes should make each dollar donated to fight cancer go a little bit farther.

The plan made sense to other Members of Parliament as well. The House of Commons voted to support the motion, even though it was sponsored by the Conservatives and not the government. Unfortunately, the Strategy for Cancer Control may not be implemented because the federal health minister is opposed to the plan. Perhaps a new government will implement this national strategy in the future.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament, and I welcome your feedback. Write or call my offices.