Toronto, April 16, 2025 –
Dear Party Leaders and Candidates,
As you outline your vision for Canada from coast to coast to coast, we urge you to make the needs of Canadians and their families impacted by cancer a top priority. Every year, cancer takes a tremendous toll on individuals and communities across the country, and now is the time to act.
The tense Canada-U.S. relationship, combined with substantial cuts to cancer research funding in the U.S., are creating uncertainty. People in Canada living with cancer and their families are increasingly concerned about their access to innovative diagnostics and treatments being delayed or diminished.
This is Canada’s opportunity to lead —to foster an environment that attracts expertise and investment—and strengthen our domestic capacity in cancer innovation. It must be a priority as your party develops a response to the U.S. tariffs aimed at investing in the resiliency of Canada’s health care systems.
With the burden of cancer projected to grow significantly over the coming decades, our health care systems must be responsive to the current and future needs of the patients it serves.
The Cancer Action Now Alliance calls on all federal parties and candidates to commit to bold action on cancer care so people in Canada living with cancer have timely access to the care they need. Together, we can improve outcomes for patients and families by:
- Advancing the pan-Canadian cancer data strategy in collaboration with the provinces and territories, patients, care providers, patient groups and underrepresented populations.
We cannot fix what we cannot measure. Despite significant public investment in cancer care, we lack a comprehensive system to measure its true impact. Federal leadership is needed to implement the pan-Canadian cancer data strategy to improve data collection, access and linkages. This will pave the way for a responsive, learning health system, that improves care delivery and health outcomes.
- Ensure an equity lens is applied to investments in cancer care.
Cancer does not affect everyone equally. Racialized individuals experience cancer and the healthcare system in unique ways. It is imperative to capture these experiences through comprehensive race and ethnicity demographic data collection. This is an opportunity for Canada to address longstanding research gaps and develop policies to promote equitable care. Underserved communities and patients living in rural and remote areas are disproportionately impacted by a higher financial burden, longer wait times and the need to travel long distances from home to access care.
This is unacceptable, especially at a time when Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. Canadians should not have to feel they are participating in a lottery every time they have a brush with the cancer system. This is why an equity lens must be applied to all investment and policy decisions in cancer care.
- Invest in shoring up Canada’s domestic capacity in research and innovation so Canadians living with cancer have access to the cancer diagnostics and treatments they need.
With the current dynamics, including shifts in U.S. policies, access to cancer treatments will become more challenging. Now, more than ever, Canada must invest in strengthening its domestic capacity for cancer research and innovation. We have the talent and infrastructure to attract world-class experts and much-needed investment. This will fuel economic growth, build resiliency in our health systems and ensure that Canadians living with cancer can benefit from new and innovative diagnostics and treatments.
The next government will have to respond to several challenges, from addressing the affordability crisis and diversifying Canada’s economy, to navigating a complex and evolving relationship with the United States.
For Canadians impacted by cancer and their families, time is not a luxury they have. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the solutions outlined above, so Canadians living with cancer are not dying to be a priority.
Cancer Action Now has reached out to all party leaders and local candidates urging them to commit to specific actions that will improve access to timely cancer care. These actions include, implementing the pan-Canadian cancer data strategy, improving access to equitable care particularly in rural and remote communities, removing barriers for faster access to treatments, and investments in shoring up Canada’s domestic capacity in cancer research and innovation.
Sincerely,
The Cancer Action Now Alliance